Two ASU students are making a difference in the lives of others - and receiving national attention for their work.
USA Today named bioengineering junior Lubna Ahmad and secondary education and Chicano studies sophomore Chris Tijerina to the 2004 All-USA College Academic Team.
The newspaper names 60 undergraduates from across the country to the team each year. The 20 students on the first team received recognition in the national newspaper, a $2,500 cash award and a trophy. USA Today acknowledged students on the second and third teams in an article.
Nine ASU students have been identified as All-USA Academic First Team members in the 15 years of the program, more than any other public university in the country.
Ahmad was named to the first team. She has developed a breath sensor that measures keotone levels in diabetes patients and people being treated for obesity.
"I have always been interested in noninvasive testing," she said.
Ahmad's parents - her mother is a physician and her father is an electrochemist - inspired her to pursue bioengineering so she could help people through technology, she said.
"They have really fostered a sense of dedication toward education and human values," she said.
Ahmad began working on the device as a freshman with guidance from Eric Guilbeau and Bruce Towe, professors in the Harrington Department of Bioengineering.
"I owe a lot to them. I owe a lot to a lot of people," she said.
Ahmad is also a Goldwater scholar, vice president of ASU's bioengineering club, a mentor in the Barrett Honors College and has designed a robotics course for the Women in Engineering and Science K-12 summer outreach program.
Outside her studies, Ahmad teaches piano lessons and works with refugees through her mosque.
"Engineering is one side of my personality and activities, but I've really tried to create a balance," Ahmad said.
Tijerina was named as a second team member.
Tijerina worked with his father to create the Goal Orientation and Leadership Development program, a nonprofit mentoring program for Latino high school students in Casa Grande.
When he was a high school student, Tijerina noticed how overworked high school counselors were in Casa Grande.
"They couldn't really work one-on-one with students and give the individual attention that makes a difference," he said.
Tijerina and his father decided to create a program that would supplement public school counseling. GOLD encourages students in Casa Grande to attend college through test preparation, advising, mentoring and a scholarship program, he said.
The program currently is mentoring 27 high school freshmen and sophomores, Tijerina said.
Reach the reporter at amanda.keim@asu.edu.
