S4L^lite Student Competition 2023 Winners

The search for the most exciting student simulation project in 2023 is complete. After much deliberation, we are very pleased to announce the winners of this year’s S4L^lite Student Competition:

1st Prize:
Anna Kochnev Goldstein, Stanford University, USA, is awarded USD 3,000 for her work entitled "Ganglion Cell Stimulation in Sub-Retinal Prostheses: To Avoid or Embrace". Anna used S4L^lite to investigate the stimulation pattern of a retinal multi-contact implant (PRIMA) and its mechanisms, providing valuable knowledge for stimulation optimization. She demonstrated exemplary proficiency in using Python scripting within S4L^lite to automate tasks from modeling to postprocessing. Excellent work! In addition to the cash prize, Anna’s institute will receive a permanent Sim4Life license.

Investigation of the stimulation pattern of a retinal multi-contact implant (PRIMA) and its mechanisms using S4L^lite.

2nd Prize:
Mingjuan Ma, Lanzhou University, China, is awarded USD 2,000 for her work entitled "RF Transfer Function Simulation of Active Implantable Medical Devices". Mingjuan demonstrated the feasibility of using artificial neural networks (ANN) and S4L^lite to predict the radiofrequency transfer function of active implantable medical devices. Mingjuan also successfully utilized the unique Python scripting capability of S4L^lite in her work. In addition to the cash prize, Mingjuan’s institute will receive a 3-year Sim4Life license.

Prediction of the radiofrequency transfer function of active implantable medical devices using artificial neural networks and S4L^lite.

3rd Prize:
Tobey Haluptzok, University of Minnesota, USA, is awarded USD 1,000 for his work entitled "Optimization of 7T Proton Transmit Loops for a Given Surface Area Constraint". Tobey simulated various configurations of radiofrequency coil arrays to evaluate the decoupling and B1+/specific absorption rate efficiencies, demonstrating how S4L^lite can be used to optimize coil coupling for magnetic resonance imaging hardware. Tobey’s institute will receive a 1-year Sim4Life license.

Evaluation of the decoupling and B1+/specific absorption rate efficiencies of various configurations of radiofrequency coil arrays.

Congratulations and a big applause to the winners!

We would like to thank everyone who participated in this year's S4L^lite Student Competition and look forward to other exciting projects next time. Stay tuned for our announcement in 2024.

The Sim4Life Team