Sydney Overton receives Graduate School’s Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award

Sydney Overton, a third-year Ph.D. student in electrical engineering, was selected for the University of Maryland Graduate School’s Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award.

The award recognizes the outstanding contributions that graduate assistants provide to students, faculty, departments, administrative units, and the university as a whole. The Graduate School awards approximately 80 Outstanding Graduate Assistant Awards annually. Award winners receive a credit for mandatory fees during the Spring 2025 Semester.

“It’s always nice to be recognized for my hard work,” Overton said. “I’ve been fortunate to have mentors who provide counsel and advocate for me at the department, college, and university levels. This award is incredibly rewarding and speaks to my dedication to both teaching and research as a graduate student. Every graduate student I know is committed to their teaching, research, and coursework, so to be recognized among so many incredible graduate assistants is humbling. I’m very grateful.”

Overton conducts research in the MEMS Sensors and Actuators lab (MSAL) under Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering and Fischell Institute Fellow Reza Ghodssi.

At MSAL, Overton is designing an ingestible capsule that deploys sensors to measure gut serotonin concentrations. Her work centers on the gut-brain axis (GBA) and the development of tools to better understand specific pathways and biomarker dynamics. By taking a systems integration approach, she aims to create a new study platform to further research on the GBA—an effort that aligns with her longstanding interest in engineering solutions to medical challenges.

“I’m particularly interested in this research because of the physiological implications of the GBA, which plays a role in gut and neurological diseases,” Overton said. “The goal of my research is to help unravel some of the specific pathways within the GBA to improve our understanding of these diseases and potential treatments.”

Overton pursued a Ph.D. in electrical engineering to gain research experience and the credentials needed to lead a lab of her own. She earned her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech in 2019.

“When I was looking at Ph.D. programs, I knew I wanted to bridge the gap between electrical engineering and medical research,” Overton said. “The university’s A. James Clark School of Engineering offered me the research opportunities I was looking for. It also didn’t hurt that the Clark School is one of the top engineering graduate programs, and I knew my experiences here would open doors for my future.”

“Sydney exemplifies the best attributes that we, the faculty, always wish for our doctoral students,” said Ghodssi. “She is super intelligent and creative, a passionate researcher and educator, a community leader, and an effective mentor to the students she works with. It is indeed a privilege to work with her.”

Overton plans to publish her next research paper and officially advance to Ph.D. candidacy after proposing her thesis research this spring. She also aims to publish additional papers before graduating, while leaving a legacy of mentorship for undergraduate researchers at MSAL and through her teaching. After earning her doctorate, she hopes to secure a postdoctoral research position and eventually a faculty role.

Published February 26, 2025