AKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

First and foremost, I'd like to thank God for blessing me with this scholarship. I'll forever be grateful to Drs Glen Bandiera and Jolie Ringash for making this project possible through their financial support and Renaissance Award initiative. This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity whose impact I am sure will ripple in innumerable areas of my life. Special thanks also go to Deanna Tiganni and the project selection committee for believing that my project was compelling enough to deserve this award. I’d also like to acknowledge the immense help that my faculty advisor, Prof. Andrew Gilbert, has given me during the application process through his guidance, insight and critiques. Furthermore, I’d probably not have been the beneficiary of this award if it were not for the recommendation letters that my professors wrote. For that I thank Dr. Reza Ushaksaraei, Mr. Michael Justason and Dr. Michael Wesolomsky. Last but not least, I’d like to thank my mother and my girlfriend for their sustained emotional support and technical assistance over the course of this project. I am sure that this list will grow exponentially by the time my project is finalized.