Congratulations to NYIT Assistant Professor Aydin Farajidavar, Ph.D., and junior Steven Patrikis, who received Innovator of the Year awards on Oct. 21. The awards were presented by Innovate Long Island, a digital media company that reports on the regional economy at InnovateLI.com. The website covers biotechnology and engineering research by universities, endeavors by local businesses, and more. Farajidavar teaches electrical and computer engineering courses and conducts research in the School of Engineering and Computing Sciences; Patrikis studies mechanical engineering in the school.

Farajidavar's colleague Richard Simpson, Ph.D., associate professor and acting chair of the Department of Electrical and Computing Sciences, nominated the pair for the awards. "Our faculty, staff, and students are doing some really great things, and it's time people outside of NYIT know about them," he said.

Farajidavar and Patrikis recently made headlines about their projects on The Box and in NYIT Magazine.

Engineer Wins Grant to Develop an Implantable Medical Device

Earlier in October, The Box reported Farajidavar will use a $457,000 National Institutes of Health grant to make a miniature implant that acquires data from patients with gastric disorders. Read the original blog story as well as his profile on Innovate Long Island's website.

Dynamic Dimensions: NYIT Student Designs Affordable Prosthetic Hand

In the Spring 2015 Issue of NYIT Magazine, Patrikis discussed how he used 3-D modeling software and a MakerBot Replicator 2 to make a prosthetic hand. Read more in NYIT Magazine as well as his profile on Innovate Long Island's website.