Impact Award + Convocation Speaker, Fall 2021
Seline R. Singh
Seline Singh is a citizen of the world. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Singh migrated to several countries throughout her lifetime, and although ready for college, her travels were not yet over. Singh needed to find a degree program that could travel with her.
“Arizona State University’s online option was the perfect match for me,” Singh says. “I could relocate anywhere in the world and still be confident that I was receiving a top-notch education.”
As a first-generation college student, applying to universities was intimidating to her and her parents, but the ASU staff members they worked with were compassionate and friendly and made the application process easy.
“I felt welcomed before I was even accepted. I knew immediately that it was the right environment for me,” she says.
Singh researched many degree options, but once she realized how electrical engineering connected with a new passion of hers — neural engineering — her academic path was set in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU.
As Singh pursued her electrical engineering bachelor’s degree online, she realized she felt disconnected from her engineering student peers. So, Singh created the social club Sun Devil Engineers. Designed to help connect engineering students, the club has become a vital resource for many students.
“Honestly, I don’t think I would have made it through my degree if I hadn’t been involved in a group like this,” Singh says. “We supported each other and grew a lot together.”
Singh was also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers student chapter and the ASU section of the Society of Women Engineers.
One of Singh’s most memorable moments at ASU was working on her senior design project. Her team developed a visual tool that models radioactive plumes. City officials could use this data to reduce the negative impact of radioactive particles on the public in an emergency.
This project also connected to one of Singh’s earliest role models, Marie Curie, the renowned scientist who pioneered radioactivity research.
“This project was important because not only did I get to learn more about a field that my favorite scientist devoted her life to, but my team and I worked on a tool that will hopefully be used to benefit the public directly,” she says.
Singh hopes to work on many research projects that will impact humankind. Her long-term goals include becoming a neural engineer.
“Combining engineering principles with the body, in particular the nervous system, would allow for groundbreaking inventions that can significantly improve lives,” she says. “I want to help engineer systems that are aimed at diagnosing and treating neurological disorders or illnesses like spinal cord injuries, Bell’s palsy, epilepsy or fibromyalgia.”
In the meantime, Singh plans to work at a petrochemical plant full time and open a baking business as a side job. Eventually, she plans to migrate to Switzerland and pursue a master’s degree in neuroscience and neuroengineering.
Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ Fall 2021 class here.