Haritya Shah is a second-year master’s student with a concentration in structures. He grew up in Vapi, a town in western India. He is advised by Dr. Murthy Guddati. He is working on research to refine the method of liver elastography, a noninvasive method of liver diagnosis.
What influenced you to go into engineering?
SHAH (S): Growing up, I saw the construction of a six- kilometer bridge in Mumbai, India. This made me appreciate the sheer scale of structures that engineers are able to design and build with what looked like relative ease. I saw all the stages of bridge construction and was in awe of the engineers who made this possible. This nudged me toward engineering.
What problem(s) are you trying to solve? Why was NC State / CCEE a good fit for you?
S: I picked this research field because it was a good opportunity for me to apply concepts of civil engineering, aid in overcoming challenges in the field of medical diagnosis, and to address the concerns of the traditional invasive methods of liver diagnosis.
Being from a dual-major background that includes biology, NC State was a good fit for me because of the many multidisciplinary research projects undertaken here and interdepartmental collaboration. This gives me the opportunity and a platform to apply engineering concepts to different fields to help solve problems. That is really exciting for me.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
S: My goal is to continue doing research at the intersection of multiple disciplines and help apply engineering concepts to different real-world problems.