Old Dominion University mechanical and aerospace engineering students Jimesh Bhagatji and Noah Leclair were selected as finalists for the 2025 Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) University Research Symposium, held during the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) in Orlando, Florida.

The symposium is a competitive program that invites select SAMPE student members to present their technical research at CAMX each year in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs. CAMX is the largest event in the USA for showcasing advancements in composite materials and processes.

Bhagatji, a doctoral student and president of ODU’s SAMPE chapter, has been part of the Composites Modeling and Manufacturing (CMM) Group for the past 4.5 years. His presentation, based on his dissertation research titled “Application of Hot Powder Bed Compaction in Additive and Subtractive Composite Manufacturing for Improved Microstructural Consolidation and Performance,” explores novel manufacturing of additive polymer composite materials.

Leclair, an undergraduate student, conducted his research in the CMM Group in collaboration with industrial partner American GFM. His project, “Upcycling Woven Carbon Fiber Prepreg Scrap: Structure-Property Relationship and Flexibility of Platelets with Stochastic Meso-Morphology,” focuses on recycling leftover carbon fiber scraps from the cutting process.