Emma Susi Takes First Place at 2024 WAVE Competition
MPCR Lab alumna Emma Susi won the Dr. Eric H. Shaw FAU Wave Excellence in Innovation Award and $2,000 prize for her project SPEAC (Sensory Personalized EEG Assistive Communication) — a non-invasive brain-computer interface enabling communication for individuals with ALS, stroke, and speech impairments.
Susi, who graduated from the Schmidt College of Science at age 19 with a degree in neuroscience and behavior, developed the project under the mentorship of Dr. William Hahn using resources in the Gruber AI Sandbox. The work was inspired by her cousin’s battle with ALS.
“Dr. Hahn always encouraged me to think outside the box for novel solutions to complex problems,” Susi said. The prize money will fund patent efforts and EEG headset manufacturing.