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Benjamin C. Masters, a doctoral student in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, has been chosen as the 2008 Research Assistant of the Year by the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL).

Working at CERL for the past year, Masters said his research involves ferroelectric plasma sources, materials that can autonomously maintain an electric polarization in the absence of an applied electric field.

"They are analogous to ferromagnetic materials or 'permanent' magnets, e.g. refrigerator magnets, but with electric fields instead of magnetic fields," Masters explained.

Ferroelectrics, when used as a plasma source, are not particularly robust, and have a tendency to degrade quickly, Masters said. His research, then, has been to determine, characterize and understand these degradation methods during the materials’ operation. He studies ways to make the sources stronger, more efficient and more reliable. Ferroelectric plasma sources have applications as cold-cathode electron/ion beam sources, pulsed plasma-based light sources, hazardous gas remediators and compact x-ray sources
Masters’ advisor is Dr. Charles P. Marsh, an NPRE adjunct professor, and a research scientist and program manager at CERL. Masters earned a master's degree in NPRE in 2007, and a bachelor’s in physics in 2003.

CERL is one of seven laboratories comprising the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, the research arm of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The lab is co-located with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an allied agency to share resources and collaborate on research and development for sustainable military installations.

Contact: Susan K. Mumm, editor/alumni affairs coordinator, Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, 217/347-2166 or 217/821-6866.

If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Rick Kubetz, Engineering Communications Office, 217/244-7716, editor.