Hobbies and interests
Singing
Art
Piano
Basketball
Ukulele
Badminton
Reading
Leadership
I read books daily
Maryann Benny Fernandes
7,455
Bold Points355x
Nominee6x
Finalist1x
WinnerMaryann Benny Fernandes
7,455
Bold Points355x
Nominee6x
Finalist1x
WinnerBio
As an international, first-gen, low-income from India, I completed my MS in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in Sept 2023. I'm pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, designing antennas for outer space and medical applications. Towards the end of my Ph.D., I wish to make known antenna designs that can detect space debris of size 10 cm and below, as well as cancer cells in the human body.
You may think of two fields, and I agree, but the idea of antenna research in the two fields stands to be very similar. I have realized it through my work experiences at the Radiometry System for Early Breast Cancer Detection project at the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), a national Indian lab & while working on an inflatable antenna in the Spacecraft Design Lab class at Stanford. My understanding amplified while I was teaching a graduate-level class at Stanford in my final quarter - the fourier transform and its application on how I could use math to develop my idea. These experiences have my curiosity that there may be a link between using innovative antennas to tackle these issues. I connected the dots from my research in the summer of 2021 with the R42 AI Institute and the start-up Concr, where I studied the similarities of dark matter in the gravitational lensing of outer space with that of cancer cells in the human body.
I will also apply to law school during the third year of my Ph.D. to focus on Space law, advocate for space sustainability, & take my Pilot licensee exam.
Education
Duke University
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)Majors:
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
Minors:
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
- Medicine
Stanford University
Master's degree programMajors:
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
- Computer Science
- Physics and Astronomy
- Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Career
Dream career field:
Research
Dream career goals:
scientist and professor
Student
Duke University2023 – Present1 year
Sports
Track & Field
Varsity2006 – 20104 years
Dodgeball
Varsity2012 – 20186 years
Awards
- 1
Badminton
Club2013 – 20141 year
Awards
- 2
Basketball
Junior Varsity2005 – 20105 years
Awards
- Inter - collegiate and Intra school
Research
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Duke University — Student2023 – PresentAerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
NASA JPL — Graduate fellow2022 – 2023Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
Stanford — Graduate student researcher2022 – 2022Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering
Stanford — Research assistant2021 – 2021Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engg & Research — Graduate Research Trainee2020 – 2021
Arts
Xavier Institute of Engineering
ActingOlio - St. Andrews college2015 – 2018
Public services
Volunteering
TEDxDuke — Board member2023 – PresentVolunteering
Duke marching band — Percussionist - Cymbals2023 – PresentVolunteering
Duke Catholic Community — Graduate director for liturgy2023 – PresentVolunteering
Stanford Women's Community Center, First-generation low-income partnership — Graduate mentor2021 – PresentVolunteering
Catholic Community @Stanford — Volunteer2021 – PresentVolunteering
St. Anthony Church, Vakola — Animator for Confirmation Youth2013 – 2021Volunteering
UNESCO WHV 2018 – Let’s Heritage — Delegate2018 – 2018Volunteering
Samvedana Trust — Drama and Music Tutor2020 – 2020Volunteering
TEDxXIE — Licensee and Organizer2015 – 2018
Future Interests
Advocacy
Politics
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Entrepreneurship
Student Life Photography Scholarship
Learner Math Lover Scholarship
As an international, first-generation, low-income student from India, I completed my Master's in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in Sept 2023. I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, designing antennas for outer space and medical applications. Towards the end of my Ph.D., I wish to make known antenna designs that can detect space debris of size 10 cm and below and cancer cells in the human body.
You may think of two fields, and I agree, but the idea of antenna research in the two fields stands to be very similar, and I have realized it through my work experiences and internships.
I worked on the Radiometry System for Early Breast Cancer Detection project at the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), a national Indian lab. I never indeed recognized the impact of research until among all my tasks in the project after I observed nonlinear results from my first simulation of a 2.4 GHz microstrip antenna on HFSS under two test conditions, a breast phantom with and without a cancerous tumor ranging from 1 mm to 10 cm.
Stanford changed my life in many ways, but I detail two crucial experiences that have helped me develop my research interests and passion for teaching.
Inspired by radars and innovative antennas on spacecraft and CubeSats, for my Spacecraft Design Lab, my team and I pitched a project on undetectable sub-centimeter space debris detection and categorization. We designed a 3x3x3 meter, 2.4GHz inflatable antenna, after dozens of unsuccessful attempts, we succeeded in inflating and successfully testing the antenna.
In my final quarter, I had the opportunity to be the primary course instructor for a Stanford graduate-level class in which I was previously a teaching assistant (TA): The Fourier Transform and its Applications. During this phase, I realized I was learning more while pondering my research questions, which helped me understand the math I needed in my research to tackle my antenna designs.
These experiences have amplified my curiosity that there may be a link between using innovative antennas to capture tiny space debris and early cancer detection. I used the connections from my research in the summer of 2021 with the R42 AI Institute and the start-up Concr, where I studied the similarities of dark matter in the gravitational lensing of outer space with that of breast cancer cells in the human body.
Redefining Victory Scholarship
I'm Maryann & "Go forth & set the world on Fire" (St. Ignatius Loyola) is my life motto!
As an international, first-generation, low-income student from India, I completed my Master's in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in Sept 2023. I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, designing antennas for outer space and medical applications. Towards the end of my Ph.D., I wish to make known antenna designs that can detect space debris of size 10 cm and below and cancer cells in the human body.
You may think of two fields, and I agree, but the idea of antenna research in the two fields stands to be very similar, and I have realized it through my work experiences and internships.
1) I worked on the Radiometry System for Early Breast Cancer Detection project at the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), a national Indian lab. I never indeed recognized the impact of research until among all my tasks in the project after I observed nonlinear results from my first simulation of a 2.4 GHz microstrip antenna on HFSS under two test conditions, a breast phantom with and without a cancerous tumor ranging from 1 mm to 10 cm. Through this research, I came to identify four goals: Higher education in the U.S., A space scientist career, Helping the medical community tackle cancer, and a Passion for teaching.
2) Stanford changed my life in many ways, but I detail two crucial experiences that have helped me develop my research interests and passion for teaching.
a) Inspired by radars and innovative antennas on spacecraft and CubeSats, for my Spacecraft Design Lab, my team, which consisted of two undergrads, an aerospace and mechanical engineer, pitched a project on undetectable sub-centimeter space debris detection and categorization. Designing a theoretical radar system in the first few weeks of the class, we narrowed it down to a 3x3x3 meter, 2.4 GHz inflatable antenna. I worked on the system's mathematical calculations using MATLAB, HFSS simulations, and manual patch fabrication. Then, together as a team, after dozens of unsuccessful attempts, we managed to inflate and successfully test a 2.4 GHz antenna on a receiver.
b) In my final quarter, I had the opportunity to be the primary course instructor for a Stanford graduate-level class in which I was previously a teaching assistant (TA) - EE261: The Fourier Transform and its Applications. During this phase, I realized I was learning more while pondering my research questions, which helped me understand the math I need in my research to tackle my antenna designs for space and medical needs.
These experiences have amplified my curiosity that there may be a link between using innovative antennas to capture tiny space debris and early cancer detection. I used the connections from my research in the summer of 2021 with the R42 AI Institute and the start-up Concr, where I studied the similarities of dark matter in the gravitational lensing of outer space with that of breast cancer cells in the human body.
I have developed critical thinking, leadership, communication, and teamwork in my international exposure. I won the MIT Hacking Racism in Healthcare by pitching as a team of four - accessible healthcare facilities to LGBTQ and BIPOC youth. As the runner-up in a group of three at the European Space Agency Virtual Hackathon, we identified a solution to the COVID-19 pandemic targeting SDG 3 - Health & Well-Being. I served as the Councilor at Stanford, representing the Electrical Engineering Department at Stanford's School of Engineering Dean's Graduate Student Advisory Council for 2022 - 23.
Apart from the technical side, I will also apply to law school during the third year of my Ph.D. to focus on Space law, advocate for space sustainability, and take my Pilot licensee exam.
In my personal and professional journey, my dream is to cross paths with the best people of my generation and continue the unparalleled path of a diverse education through my research in outer space and medical applications with extracurricular activities and meaningful community service that can help make this world a better place. I will acknowledge that I have succeeded if I can achieve this goal.
Hicks Scholarship Award
As an international, first-generation, low-income student from India, I completed my Master's in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in Sept 2023. I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, designing antennas for outer space and medical applications. Towards the end of my Ph.D., I wish to make known antenna designs that can detect space debris of size 10 cm and below, and cancer cells in the human body.
You may think of two fields, and I agree, but the idea of antenna research in the two fields stands to be very similar, and I have realized it through my work experiences and internships.
1) I worked on the Radiometry System for Early Breast Cancer Detection project at the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), a national Indian lab. I never indeed recognized the impact of research until among all my tasks in the project after I observed nonlinear results from my first simulation of a 2.4 GHz microstrip antenna on HFSS under two test conditions, a breast phantom with and without a cancerous tumor ranging from 1 mm to 10 cm. Through this research, I came to identify four goals: Higher education in the U.S., A space scientist career, Helping the medical community tackle cancer, and a Passion for teaching.
2) Stanford changed my life in many ways, but I detail two crucial experiences that have helped me develop my research interests and passion for teaching.
a) Inspired by radars and innovative antennas on spacecraft and CubeSats, for my Spacecraft Design Lab, my team, which consisted of two undergrads, an aerospace and mechanical engineer, pitched a project on undetectable sub-centimeter space debris detection and categorization. Designing a theoretical radar system in the first few weeks of the class, we narrowed it down to a 3x3x3 meter, 2.4 GHz inflatable antenna. I worked on the system's mathematical calculations using MATLAB, HFSS simulations, and manual patch fabrication. Then, together as a team, after dozens of unsuccessful attempts, we managed to inflate and successfully test a 2.4 GHz antenna on a receiver.
b) In my final quarter, I had the opportunity to be the primary course instructor for a Stanford graduate-level class in which I was previously a teaching assistant (TA) - EE261: The Fourier Transform and its Applications. During this phase, I realized I was learning more while also pondering on my research questions, which helped me understand the math I need in my research to tackle my antenna designs for space and medical needs.
These experiences have amplified my curiosity that there may be a link between using innovative antennas to capture tiny space debris and early cancer detection. I used the connections from my research in the summer of 2021 with the R42 AI Institute and the start-up Concr, where I studied the similarities of dark matter in the gravitational lensing of outer space with that of breast cancer cells in the human body.
In my personal and professional journey, my dream is to cross paths with the best people of my generation and continue the unparalleled path of a diverse education with extracurricular activities and meaningful community service that can help make this world a better place.
Sikora Drake Women in STEM Scholarship
As an international, first-generation, low-income student from India, I completed my Master's in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in Sept 2023. I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, designing antennas for outer space and medical applications. Towards the end of my Ph.D., I wish to make known antenna designs that can detect space debris of size 10 cm and below and cancer cells in the human body.
You may think of two fields, and I agree, but the idea of antenna research in the two fields stands to be very similar, and I have realized it through my work experiences and internships.
1. I worked on the Radiometry System for Early Breast Cancer Detection project at the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), a national Indian lab. I never indeed recognized the impact of research until among all my tasks in the project after I observed nonlinear results from my first simulation of a 2.4 GHz microstrip antenna on HFSS under two test conditions, a breast phantom with and without a cancerous tumor ranging from 1 mm to 10 cm. Through this research, I came to identify four goals: Higher education in the U.S., A space scientist career, Helping the medical community tackle cancer, and a Passion for teaching.
2. Stanford changed my life in many ways, but I detail two crucial experiences that have helped me develop my research interests and passion for teaching.
a) Inspired by radars and innovative antennas on spacecraft and CubeSats, for my Spacecraft Design Lab, my team, which consisted of two undergrads, an aerospace and mechanical engineer, pitched a project on undetectable sub-centimeter space debris detection and categorization. Designing a theoretical radar system in the first few weeks of the class, we narrowed it down to a 3x3x3 meter, 2.4 GHz inflatable antenna. I worked on the system's mathematical calculations using MATLAB, HFSS simulations, and manual patch fabrication. Then, together as a team, after dozens of unsuccessful attempts, we managed to inflate and successfully test a 2.4 GHz antenna on a receiver.
b) In my final quarter, I had the opportunity to be the primary course instructor for a Stanford graduate-level class in which I was previously a teaching assistant (TA) - EE261: The Fourier Transform and its Applications. The class was in person, streamed online, and comprised high school students, undergraduates, grads, and working professionals. While a graduate TA assisted me, this journey humbled me to realize the challenges and expectations that come to a professor when teaching at a premier school.
These experiences have amplified my curiosity that there may be a link between using innovative antennas to capture tiny space debris and early cancer detection. I used the connections from my research in the summer of 2021 with the R42 AI Institute and the start-up Concr, where I studied the similarities of dark matter in the gravitational lensing of outer space with that of cancer cells in the human body.
On my career road, my dream is to cross paths with the best people of my generation and continue the unparalleled path of a diverse education with extracurricular activities and meaningful community service that can help make this world a better place.
A Man Helping Women Helping Women Scholarship
As an international, first-generation, low-income student from India, I completed my Master's in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in Sept 2023. I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, designing antennas for outer space and medical applications. Towards the end of my Ph.D., I wish to make known antenna designs that can detect space debris of size 10 cm and below, as well as cancer cells in the human body.
You may think of two fields, and I agree, but the idea of antenna research in the two fields stands to be very similar, and I have realized it through my work experiences and internships.
I worked on the Radiometry System for Early Breast Cancer Detection project at the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), a national Indian lab. I never indeed recognized the impact of research until among all my tasks in the project after I observed nonlinear results from my first simulation of a 2.4 GHz microstrip antenna on HFSS under two test conditions, a breast phantom with and without a cancerous tumor ranging from 1 mm to 10 cm. Through this research, I came to identify four goals: Higher education in the U.S., A space scientist career, Helping the medical community tackle cancer, and a Passion for teaching.
Stanford changed my life in many ways, but I detail two crucial experiences that have helped me develop my research interests and passion for teaching.
a. Inspired by radars and innovative antennas on spacecraft and CubeSats, for my Spacecraft Design Lab, my team, which consisted of two undergrads, an aerospace and mechanical engineer, pitched a project on undetectable sub-centimeter space debris detection and categorization. Designing a theoretical radar system in the first few weeks of the class, we narrowed it down to a 3x3x3 meter, 2.4 GHz inflatable antenna. I worked on the system's mathematical calculations using MATLAB, HFSS simulations, and manual patch fabrication. Then, together as a team, after dozens of unsuccessful attempts, we managed to inflate and successfully test a 2.4 GHz antenna on a receiver.
b. In my final quarter, I had the opportunity to be the primary course instructor for a Stanford graduate-level class in which I was previously a teaching assistant (TA) - EE261: The Fourier Transform and its Applications. The class was in person, streamed online, and comprised high school students, undergraduates, grads, and working professionals. While a graduate TA assisted me, this journey humbled me to realize the challenges and expectations that come to a professor when teaching at a premier school.
These experiences have amplified my curiosity that there may be a link between using innovative antennas to capture tiny space debris and early cancer detection. I used the connections from my research in the summer of 2021 with the R42 AI Institute and the start-up Concr, where I studied the similarities of dark matter in the gravitational lensing of outer space with that of cancer cells in the human body.
On my career road, my dream is to cross paths with the best people of my generation and continue the unparalleled path of a diverse education with extracurricular activities and meaningful community service.
Elevate Women in Technology Scholarship
I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, designing antennas for outer space and medical applications. Towards the end of my Ph.D., I wish to make known antenna designs that can detect space debris of size 10 cm and below, as well as cancer cells in the human body.
You may think of two fields, and I agree, but the idea of antenna research in the two fields stands to be very similar, and I have realized it through my work experiences and internships.
1. I worked on the Radiometry System for Early Breast Cancer Detection project at the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), a national Indian lab. I never indeed recognized the impact of research until among all my tasks in the project after I observed nonlinear results from my first simulation of a 2.4 GHz microstrip antenna on HFSS under two test conditions, a breast phantom with and without a cancerous tumor ranging from 1 mm to 10 cm.
2. Stanford changed my life in many ways and helped me understand how technology can improve this world. Inspired by radars and innovative antennas on spacecraft and CubeSats, for my Spacecraft Design Lab, my team, which consisted of two undergrads, an aerospace and mechanical engineer, pitched a project on undetectable sub-centimeter space debris detection and categorization. The ever-increasing Space debris is a major concern for our future space exploration, so we designed a theoretical radar system in the first few weeks of the class, we narrowed it down to a 3x3x3 meter, 2.4 GHz inflatable antenna that could help us achieve detection, and after dozens of unsuccessful attempts, we managed to inflate and successfully test a 2.4 GHz antenna.
These experiences have amplified my curiosity that there may be a link between using innovative antennas to capture tiny space debris and early cancer detection. I used the connections from my research in the summer of 2021 with the R42 AI Institute and the start-up Concr, where I studied the similarities of dark matter in the gravitational lensing of outer space with that of cancer cells in the human body.
Abu Omar Halal Scholarship
As an international, first-generation, low-income student from India, I completed my Master's in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in Sept 2023. I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, designing antennas for outer space and medical applications. Towards the end of my Ph.D., I wish to make known antenna designs that can detect space debris of size 10 cm and below, as well as cancer cells in the human body.
You may think of two fields, and I agree, but the idea of antenna research in the two fields stands to be very similar, and I have realized it through my work experiences and internships.
1. I worked on the Radiometry System for Early Breast Cancer Detection project at the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), a national Indian lab. I never indeed recognized the impact of research until among all my tasks in the project after I observed nonlinear results from my first simulation of a 2.4 GHz microstrip antenna on HFSS under two test conditions, a breast phantom with and without a cancerous tumor ranging from 1 mm to 10 cm. Through this research, I came to identify four goals: Higher education in the U.S., A space scientist career, Helping the medical community tackle cancer, and a Passion for teaching.
2. Stanford changed my life in many ways, but I detail two crucial experiences that have helped me develop my research interests and passion for teaching.
a. Inspired by radars and innovative antennas on spacecraft and CubeSats, for my Spacecraft Design Lab, my team, which consisted of two undergrads, an aerospace and mechanical engineer, pitched a project on undetectable sub-centimeter space debris detection and categorization. Designing a theoretical radar system in the first few weeks of the class, we narrowed it down to a 3x3x3 meter, 2.4 GHz inflatable antenna, and after dozens of unsuccessful attempts, we managed to inflate and successfully test a 2.4 GHz antenna on a receiver.
b. In my final quarter, I had the opportunity to be the primary course instructor for a Stanford graduate-level class in which I was previously a teaching assistant (TA) - EE261: The Fourier Transform and its Applications. The class was in person, streamed online, and comprised high school students, undergraduates, grads, and working professionals. While a graduate TA assisted me, this journey humbled me to realize the challenges and expectations that come to a professor when teaching at a premier school.
These experiences have amplified my curiosity that there may be a link between using innovative antennas to capture tiny space debris and early cancer detection. I used the connections from my research in the summer of 2021 with the R42 AI Institute and the start-up Concr, where I studied the similarities of dark matter in the gravitational lensing of outer space with that of cancer cells in the human body.
I have developed critical thinking, leadership, communication, and teamwork in my international exposure. I won the MIT Hacking Racism in Healthcare by pitching as a team of four - accessible healthcare facilities to LGBTQ and BIPOC youth. As the runner-up in a group of three at the European Space Agency Virtual Hackathon, we identified a solution to the COVID-19 pandemic targeting SDG 3 - Health & Well-Being. I served as the Councilor at Stanford, representing the Electrical Engineering Department at Stanford's School of Engineering Dean's Graduate Student Advisory Council for 2022-23.
My dream is to crossroads with the best people of my generation and continue the unparalleled path of a diverse education with extracurricular activities and meaningful community service.
Act Locally Scholarship
Education, love, and forgiveness can change the world. I do it by utilizing my time at Stanford to help my community and writing poems that revolve around disastrous events happening around the world apart from academics and research.
Bold Wisdom Scholarship
You are your own storyteller and no one can proclaim it better than yourself!