The Technology Entrepreneur Center in The Grainger College of Engineering has announced the recipients of the 2025 campuswide innovation awards. Jiawei Liu, a Ph.D. student in computer science, is the Illinois Innovation Award recipient, and Mahima Goel, a student at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, is the Fiddler Innovation Fellowship recipient.
Illinois Innovation Award
The Illinois Innovation Award honors University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students for excellence in groundbreaking innovation or translational research that addresses real-world problems and has the potential to make a significant impact. Liu received a $20,000 monetary award from Grainger Engineering. Since 2007, the program has awarded $470,000 to student innovators.
Jiawei Liu is dedicated to advancing the reliability and resilience of the entire machine learning (ML) stack, spanning multiple critical layers: developing reliable code-generating language models, creating automatic test generators that have identified over 300 critical bugs in major ML frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch, safeguarding the software foundations of AI and addressing hardware-level reliability issues. These efforts collectively lead to more robust and trustworthy ML systems, essential for applications ranging from health care to autonomous driving.
Liu also contributes to open-source code generation tools and evaluation models, including EvalPlus and StarCoder2, which have been widely adopted by both the research community and industry leaders such as Google, Meta and Amazon. Notably, his evaluation framework, EvalPlus, has been downloaded 750,000 times for rigorous evaluation of LLM-generated code.
Liu said, “Winning this prestigious award is both an incredible encouragement and a significant milestone in my research journey. I’m deeply grateful to be part of the University of Illinois, a place that fosters innovation and empowers students to fearlessly tackle real-world challenges through cutting-edge research. This recognition encourages me to continue pushing the boundaries of my work, which focuses on making future software systems more reliable and resilient.”
Fiddler Innovation Fellowship
The Emerging Digital Research and Education in Arts Media (eDream) Institute at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) has awarded Mahima Goel, a student at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the $10,000 Fiddler Innovation Fellowship.
The Fiddler Innovation Fellowship is part of a $2 million endowment from computer science alumnus Jerry Fiddler and his wife, Melissa Alden, to the University of Illinois. The endowment supports the eDream Institute at NCSA and innovative students who address societal or global challenges using an interdisciplinary approach.
Mahima Goel is developing an innovative scalp cooling system to prevent chemotherapy-induced hair loss in breast cancer patients. Although existing scalp-cooling technology is effective, its bulkiness, high cost and need for specialized training limit its use. In collaboration with oncologists, engineers and health technology students, Goel has created a prototype that is half the size, weight and price of current market options, featuring patient-centered design elements for ease of use. The compact and portable system, equipped with a battery pack, allows patients to continue cooling post-infusion while traveling, eliminating the need to remain at an infusion center for an additional one to two hours.
Goel said, “This award will directly impact the progress of the CAPSLocks project as our interdisciplinary team hopes to apply the funds towards furthering prototype development and continuing to test for optimal safety and efficacy parameters so that we can make scalp cooling an accessible reality for all cancer patients.”
Illinois Innovation Award Finalists
Tessabella Magliochetti, a Carle Illinois College of Medicine student, is working on maternal health innovation, improving outcomes for expectant mothers. Magliochetti has developed an at-home amniotic fluid detection system to provide a reliable indication of labor onset by detecting amniotic fluid leakage. AminoAlert, a discreet and easy-to-use device, features a color-changing indicator embedded within a third-trimester daily wear pad, empowering mothers to identify labor onset accurately and comfortably at home.
Bhargavee Gnanasambandam, a Carle Illinois College of Medicine student, is addressing disparities in cervical cancer screening, especially among populations who are disproportionately affected by cervical cancer and have limited access to care. Gnanasambandam co-founded Cervicare, a rapid bedside screening test that uses biomarkers identified in the team’s research for accurate cervical cancer screening. The system is designed to be less invasive, more cost-effective and less time-intensive than conventional pap tests.
Jarom Sederholm, a Ph.D. student in chemical and bimolecular engineering, is revolutionizing the field of battery technology and recycling, promising substantial environmental and economic benefits. Sederholm has developed a novel method for recycling old lithium-ion batteries into new ones through an electrochemical process that has significantly reduced energy and material inputs compared to existing technologies. Sederholm’s groundbreaking research led to a $150,000 grant from the Army Corps of Engineers.
Fiddler Innovation Fellowship Finalists
Jeffrey Lu, a student at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, is striving to transform iron deficiency screening by making it more accessible, affordable and noninvasive. As the founder of Ferritiva, Lu has developed a prototype strip that utilizes noninvasive biofluids such as saliva and urine for rapid screening. This innovative method tackles the cost barriers, invasiveness and delayed results typically associated with traditional blood tests. By offering immediate and convenient testing, Ferritiva's device has the potential to greatly enhance iron health management, especially for high-risk groups like children.
Jasper Nord, an undergraduate student in sustainable design, is passionate about circular economy principles. As the founder of SporeCycle, Jasper utilizes coffee grounds from local cafes to grow nutrient-rich mushrooms. He is also engaged in mycelium-based projects such as sustainable mushroom dyes, which are supported by a scholarship.
Editor’s note: Christian Guerrero-Juarez, a student at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, is also a finalist for the Fiddler Innovation Fellowship.