2020 Graduate Student Teaching Award Recipient: Afshin Kashani Ilkhechi
Afshin is holding his own designed and fabricated 4-inch silicon wafer containing nearly a million micro-scale deformable mirrors fabricated with microfabrication technology in nanoFab at UAlberta. These tiny mirrors can be used in systems where an ultra-fast light focusing is a key, such as medical imaging systems, 3D printers and holographic displays.
Afshin Kashani Ilkhechi, from Iran, is one of the Faculty of Graduate Research and Studies, Teaching Assistant Award recipients for 2020. He is in the pursuit of his PhD in Electrical Engineering.
Why did you choose this area of study?
My passion for electrical engineering goes back to my childhood. I remember, when I was 6 or 7, I got a tiny car toy that had a blinking LED and would set ON if you dragged it fast enough. I loved the way they start blinking. It made me destroy the toy to see the inside, and that was the start of my journey to destroy all my electronic toys and further developing my passion for electronics. I cemented my decision to become an electrical engineer by choosing to study electrical engineering in a technical high school. Since then, I have been pursuing my dream of becoming an engineer.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Dreams are beautiful and inspiring. I think in the next five years, I am working toward my goal of becoming an entrepreneur in the ultrasound imaging industry. In the meantime, I am developing transparent ultrasound transducers so-called Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasound transducers (CMUT), which are micro-scale drum-like structures smaller than human hair custom-fabricated in our UofA nanoFAB facility. With the help of light and sound physics, these tiny structures can visualize the inside of tissues non-destructively. My dream is to develop this technology and revolutionizes the way we detect and treat cancer.
Who are three of your heroes (living or historical) and why? 
It is hard for me to place only one person as my first hero; I want to break the rules and name my parents as my most influential and inspiring heroes. They always believed in and encouraged me to pursue my dreams. Also, as a dreamer, I got inspired by successful entrepreneurs, notably Elon Musk, who turns his ambitious ideas into reality.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
In my opinion, talent is overrated. Talented people do not strive to get better in their field of specialty. It is only people who are diligent are committed to continuous improvement.
Name a book that you would assign as recommended reading to students?
My recommendation would be No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy.
What skill would you consider to be most essential for humanity?
Communication! With communication, we can share ideas, teach and learn new things.
Who or what on campus has made an impact on your UAlberta success?
I believe that the University of Alberta is my second family. I found new friends and meet new people and learned uncountable skills. But if I have to choose one person, without any doubt, I would say the most influential person at the U of A is my supervisor, Prof. Roger Zemp. He was always supportive of my ideas, taught me how to see things differently, think positively, and be optimistic about my dreams.