Rachel Iritani, a graduate student in the University of Washington Department of Bioengineering, was named the 2024 recipient of the CNT Best Student Paper Award for Neurotechnology Advancement. This award was established by Joseph and Anusha Fernando in 2020 to recognize and promote a technical paper authored by a CNT-affiliated student that makes identifiable contributions in neurotechnology or human-machine interaction.
Iritani was selected as the award recipient for a paper she wrote in 2024 while working in the laboratory of Azadeh Yazdan-Shahmorad. Rachel’s paper, “A Neural Implant Design Toolbox for Nonhuman Primates” (Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2024) was selected based on its significance and potential impact, its technical content, the originality of the proposed approach and the clarity of the solutions she presented. The award provides Rachel with $1,000, which will enable her to travel to a scientific conference in 2025.