Electrical and computer engineering student Bryce Cheek was recognized alongside mechanical engineering student Kian Arian Ben-Jacob during Black History Month in the latest newsletter of the U’s Office of Undergraduate Research. The two were highlighted as examples of exemplary research being conducted by College of Engineering undergraduate students.
Cheek, who hails from North Carolina, is studying Deep Brain Stimulation, a medical procedure that involves applying electromagnetic energy toward a portion of a patient’s brain to treat certain neurological disorders. He is researching a non-invasive form of DBS to treat depression that could result in much fewer side effects such as headaches, post-surgery infections and seizures.
He plans to graduate in electrical and computer engineering at the end of this year, after which Cheek said he wants to find an occupation “that impacts lives in a positive manner. Whether that is for a biomedical company or a company that deals with cybersecurity, I need to make sure that my work is holistically honest and good.”
“I’ve been at the U for only four years, but learning so much from my many experiences at this university, I feel like I’ve gotten more years under my belt than I can count,” he said about his experience so far at the U. “I’ve really enjoyed my time at the University of Utah, and I owe a lot of my expanded and commemorative memories to this institution.”
Both students are Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Scholars and are given the guidance of a faculty member to research and develop their own projects in their engineering fields.