NPRE undergraduate Peter R. Fiflis of Indian Head Park, Illinois, has won an honorable mention in the Barry M. Goldwater scholarship competitions for the 2011–12 academic year.
Fiflis is concentrating his studies in plasma and fusion science and engineering. Also a University of Illinois Chancellor’s Scholar and James Scholar, Fiflis has completed three semesters as an NPRE teaching assistant. He has been conducting research since October 2008 at the Center for Plasma-Material Interactions (CPMI) at Illinois. Under Prof. David N. Ruzic, CPMI’s director, Fiflis is investigating the feasibility and proper design of an electrostatic lithium injector for fusion devices.
He also has spent two summers at Argonne National Lab conducting research on the remote detection of radiation by millimeter waves. Fiflis intends to enter a doctoral program in nuclear engineering and continue a career in fusion research and reactor design.
A member of the Alpha Nu Sigma nuclear engineering honor society, Fiflis has been awarded NPRE’s George H. Miley LENR Undergraduate Scholarship each of the past two years. He also has won scholarships from the the Nuclear Power Engineering Education Program (NPEEP, funded by Exelon Corporation), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Nuclear Engineering Scholarship and Fellowship Program (funded by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission), the U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Energy Universities Program (NEUP), and the College of Engineering at Illinois William L. and Elizabeth A. Ackerman Fund.
Congress established the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program in 1986 to honor Sen. Barry M. Goldwater, who served in the U.S. Senate for 30 years. The program provides a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to sophomores and juniors from the United States who intend to pursue careers in these fields.
The 275 Goldwater Scholars for 2011-12 were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,095 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields. The one and two year scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.