Diné College Professor’s Funding Proposal Receives an Award From the National Science Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2022
TSAILE, Ariz. — Diné College Associate Professor Dr. Oleksandr Makeyev has received a $200,000 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a funding proposal “Validating the Optimal Design of Concentric Ring Electrodes on Phantom Data”, that would bring forth cutting-edge research and most directly relates to issued and pending patents as well as involves international collaboration.
Diné College’s STEM program is to design, implement, and assess new academic programs and services in STEM-related fields through place- and inquiry-based approaches incorporating an Internship for Native American students. This expanded educational and Internship opportunities for students will provide employment training and opportunities, personal development, and improved quality of life for the Navajo communities surrounding Diné College. The methods to be employed will be the addition of expanded higher-level academic and internship programs into the structure of STEM disciplines at the College, including development of research laboratories.
The project aiming to validate physical prototypes of novel and noninvasive concentric ring electrodes (CREs) on real life phantom data at Dr. Makeyev’s Mathematics for Engineering Applications (MEA) laboratory has been awarded on May 15th, 2022. It has the potentials to advance the knowledge and improve the accuracy of Laplacian estimation in electrophysiological measurement systems such as electroencephalograms and electrocardiograms. This will assist in finding optimal CREs for diagnosing conditions that disproportionately affect Native American Populations. This project will provide opportunities for tribal college students to participate in international research.
“I am very grateful for the third National Science Foundation award to my lab in 6 years. I believe it will make for some high quality Master of Science theses for my research assistants.” said Dr. Oleksandr Makeyev.
Dr. Makeyev has a Ph.D. in engineering science from Clarkson University. In 2014, after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Rhode Island, he joined Diné College. He has authored and co-authored 80 scientific publications including 35 papers in peer-reviewed journals. In 2017, he was elevated to the rank of a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world’s largest technical professional organization.
Diné College is a four-year tribal college located on the Navajo reservation with six campuses and two microsites across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah and primarily serves Navajo students. The school offers 20 bachelor degrees, 16 associate degrees, and 6 certificate programs. The school is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The College, established in 1968, is the first tribal college and was formerly named Navajo Community College.
