Ninety-five students were recognized during the 2013 NPRE-ANS Honors Banquet in April.
Held in conjunction with the American Nuclear Society Student Chapter organization, the NPRE event recognizes students for earning awards from the Department, College of Engineering, national organzations and corporate partners. The event is sponsored in part by the Edward E. Mineman Memorial Endowment Fund. NPRE alumnus Edward F. Mineman, BS 84, and his brother Blaine A. Mineman, AB 85, Political Science, MBA 87, established the fund to honor their father.
The NPRE Outstanding Academic Achievement Awards to a Graduating Senior were presented to Benjamin L. Magolan and Kathleen J. Weichman. The award recognizes the graduating seniors with the highest cumulative GPA. Magolan, of Plainfield, Illinois, and Weichman, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, were also recognized as Bronze Tablet members, a select group of undergraduate students whose names are inscribed on bronze tablets displayed on the first floor of the University of Illinois Main Library. Only the top 3 percent of undergraduate students across campus receive this highly coveted award, taking note of continuous high academic achievement.
Following is a list of other students honored and their awards:
NPRE Department Head Jim Stubbins with Ye Li and Leo Kirsch
NPRE Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award
The NPRE Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award is presented to undergraduate students who have performed exemplary research in the Department.
- Leo E. Kirsch of Frankfort, IL
- Ye Li of Beijing, People's Republic of China
NPRE Department Head Jim Stubbins with Nicholas Rivera and Robert Geringer
Catherine Pritchard Undergraduate Scholarship
The Catherine Pritchard Undergraduate Scholarships, honoring former NPRE secretary Catherine Pritchard, are presented to students who have shown academic ability and activities leadership during his or her first three years, to be used during the senior year of study.
- Nicholas Rivera of Chicago, IL
- Robert J. Geringer of Palatine, IL
Roy A. Axford Undergraduate Scholarship
The Roy A. Axford Undergraduate Scholarship, honoring NPRE Professor Roy A. Axford, is presented to a continuing student of high academic ability and achievement.
- Louis J. Chapdelaine of Eagan, MN
- Rui Lin Tan of Singapore
George H. Miley/LENR Undergraduate Scholarship
The Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) Undergraduate Scholarship, honoring NPRE Prof. George H. Miley, is presented to a highly motivated, continuing undergraduate student in the Department.
- Amanda M. Lietz of Cincinnati, OH
- Matthew M. Szott of Orland Park, IL
Barclay G. Jones Endowed Fellow
The Barclay G. Jones Endowed Fellowship, the first fellowship held entirely within the Department, was established by NPRE alumni to honor long-time faculty member and Department Head Barclay Jones. Abhishek Jaiswal, a master’s degree student advised by Professor Jones, has held the fellowship over the past year. Jaiswal will continue his doctoral studies with NPRE Assistant Prof. Yang Zhang.
- Abhishek Jaiswal
NPRE Department Head Jim Stubbins with Molly Bilderback and Andrew Groll
The Student Chapter of the American Nuclear Society selects the ANS Undergraduate Outstanding Service Award recipient. The undergraduate student who has most actively supported the ANS Student Chapter and its programs throughout the academic year is honored.
- Molly R. Bilderback of Kankakee, IL
American Nuclear Society Student Chapter Awards - Graduate Outstanding Service Award
The Student Chapter of the American Nuclear Society selects the ANS Graduate Outstanding Service Award recipient. The graduate student who has most actively supported the ANS Student Chapter and its programs throughout the academic year is honored.
- Andrew N. Groll of Champaign, IL
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Nuclear Engineering Scholarship and Fellowship Program
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission directs this program that includes support for education in nuclear science and engineering, to develop a workforce capable of supporting the design, construction, operation, and regulation of nuclear facilities and the safe handling of nuclear materials.
Scholarships:
- Cem Bagdatlioglu of Akatlar, Instanbul
- Molly R. Bilderback of Kankakee, IL
- Louis J. Chapdelaine of Eagan, MN
- Wesley N. Cowan of Lexington, KY
- Mikhail S. Finko of Clarendon Hills, IL
- Leo E. Kirsch of Frankfort, IL
- Stephen M. Kleppinger of Lake Zurich, IL
- Christopher A. Kuprianczyk of Chicago, IL
- Amanda M. Lietz of Cincinnati, OH
- Benjamin L. Magolan of Plainfield, IL
- Peter A. Mouche of Naperville, IL
- April J. Novak of Downers Grove, IL
- Nicholas W. O'Shea of Chicago, IL
- Anthony H. Park of Bolingbrook, IL
- Brian P. Pekron of Elmhurst, IL
- David J. Peterson of Orland Park, IL
- Jonathan B. Pfingsten of Harvard, IL
- Pawel A. Piotrowicz of Chicago, IL
- Collin R. Rahrig of Bourbonnais, IL
- Jaspreet S.Rehal of Naperville, IL
- Nicholas Rivera of Chicago, IL
- Jonathan D. Rolland of Sayville, IL
- Joseph A. Serio of West Chicago, IL
- Matthew M. Szott of Orland Park, IL
- Quinn T. Vandermeersch of Knoxville, TN
- Nathan P. Walter of Evanston, IL
- Kathleen J. Weichman of Albuquerque, NM
- Bennett T. Williams of Robinson, IL
- Yuhui Zhao of Changzhi, People's Republic of China
- Jeffrey L. Zhou of Geneva, IL
Fellowships:
- Neal E. Davis of Champaign, IL
- Aaron J. Oaks of Brea, CA
- Carolyn A. Tomchik of Urbana, IL
Exelon Corp. representatives Ed McVey and Gabriel Chavez (back row) with Kirsten Johnson and Nicholas Rivera
This scholarship program was established to encourage talented students interested in a career with Exelon Corporation. Exelon has been honored as the “Top Utility in the World” by Platt’s Publication, “the nation’s leading utility
This scholarship program was established to encourage talented students interested in a career with Exelon Corporation. Exelon has been honored as the “Top Utility in the World” by Platt’s Publication, “the nation’s leading utility and energy services company” by Business Week, and “Best of Breed” by Forbes.
- Kevin T. Egan of Joliet, IL
- Kirsten E. Johnson of Plainfield, IL
- Nicholas Rivera of Chicago, IL
Sargent & Lundy Fellowship
Sargent & Lundy, based out of Chicago, is a worldwide leader in services for the electric power industry. The firm provides consulting and project services for fossil-fuel and nuclear power plants and power delivery systems. Their competitive fellowship is awarded to a graduate student who shows promise of making substantial research contributions in the power design areas and who has demonstrated a strong academic performance.
- Matthew J. Weberski of Spring Valley, IL
National Institutes of Health Midwest Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center Assistantship
The NIH Midwest Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center’s goal in selecting graduate students for assistantships is to produce the next generation of leaders in defining new frontiers of nanotechnology in cancer research. The program provides an interdisciplinary environment to educate and empower graduate students so they can address the challenges at the crossroads of cancer biology, physical sciences, and nanotechnology.
- Joanne N. Li of Richland, WA
College of Engineering Boeing Engineering Diversity
The Boeing Engineering Diversity and Women in Engineering Scholarships are funded by The Boeing Company to help with the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups in the College of Engineering. For Boeing, the ability to hire diverse university graduates is vital to creating products and services for their diverse customers around the world
Continuing Scholarshp
- Amanda M. Lietz of Cincinnati, OH
College of Engineering Illinois Engineering Premier Scholarship
The Illinois Engineering Premier Scholarships are awarded to entering freshmen who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and, when admitted to the College of Engineering, have shown extremely high performance in ACT or SAT examinations and high school work.
- Brittany A. Daley of Algonquin, IL
College of Engineering Illinois SURGE Fellowship
The Support for Under-Represented Groups in Engineering (SURGE) Fellowship Program was established to meet the University of Illinois and College of Engineering goals of increasing the number of highly qualified persons for engineering faculty and research positions from groups currently underrepresented in engineering.
Continuing Fellowship
- Joanne N. Li of Richland, WA
Alpha Nu Sigma Spring 2013 Initiates
ANS established Alpha Nu Sigma as a national honor society with the objective to recognize high scholarship, integrity, and potential achievement in nuclear science and engineering.
Spring 2013 Initiates
- Neal E. Davis of Champaign, IL
- Daniel T. Debold of Chicago, IL
- Daniel T. Elg of Wheaton, IL
- Rui Lin Tan of Singapore
- Aveek S. Kapat of Oviedo, FL
- Christopher A. Kuprianczyk of Chicago, IL
- Xiaochun Lai of Shanghang, People's Republic of China
- Xin Li of Jilin, People's Republic of China
- Pawel A. Piotrowicz of Chicago, IL
- Monish Singh of Champaign, IL
- Jan P. Uhlig of Chicago, IL
- Matthew J. Weberski of Spring Valley, IL
- Xu Wu of Urbana, IL
Continuing Members:
- Rabie Abu Saleem of Al Salt, Jordan
- Cem Bagdatlioglu of Istanbul, Turkey
- Joseph R. Bernhardt of Bloomington, IL
- Liang Cai of Urbana, IL
- Louis J. Chapdelaine of Eagan, MN
- Wei-Ying Chen of Champaign, IL
- Joshua A. Dotson of Urbana, IL
- Kevin T. Egan of Joliet, IL
- Peter R. Fiflis of Indian Head Park, IL
- Manas R. Gartia of Attabira, India
- Jonathan George of Bolingbrook, IL
- Jessica C. Hsu of Aurora, IL
- Abhishek Jaiswal of Kathmandu, Nepal
- Ye Li of Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Amanda M. Lietz of Cincinnati, OH
- Nicholas W. O'Shea of Chicago, IL
- Zihao Ouyang of Liuyang, China
- Jason A. Peck of Fairview Heights, IL
- Ian M. Percel of Chicago, IL
- Jonathan B. Pfingsten of Harvard, IL
- Priya Raman of Chennai, India
- Jaspreet S. Rehal of Naperville, IL
- Jonathan D. Rolland of Sayville, NY
- Joseph A. Serio of West Chicago, IL
- Ryan A. Switts of O'Fallon, IL
- Matthew M. Szott of Orland Park, IL
- Carolyn A. Tomchik of Urbana, IL
- Kathleen J. Weichman of Albuquerque, NM
- Bennett T. Williams of Robinson, IL
- Jeffrey L. Zhou of Geneva, IL
University - Chancellor’s Scholars
Chancellor’s Scholars are strongly motivated, academically gifted students who excel in leadership. Students participate in honors seminars, attend Scholar Adventurers presentations, and participate in social, intellectual and cultural activities, plus maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25.
- Kyle T. Perfect of Brookfield, IL
- Joseph A. Serio of West Chicago, IL
- Matthew M. Szott of Orland Park, IL
- Jeffrey L. Zhou of Geneva, IL
University - James Scholars
This honors program is named for the fourth president of the University, Edmund J. James who believed that scholarship and research are fundamental to human progress. During his presidency, from 1904-1920, he brought world-class scholars to campus, developed graduate programs, and fostered community among faculty and students. He helped build Illinois's international reputation.
- Joseph L. Bottini of Framingham, MA
- Louis J. Chapdelaine of Eagan, MN
- Kevin J. Chowaniec of Will
- Brent S. Cross of Minier, IL
- Elizabeth M. Edwardson of Gurnee, IL
- Nicholas J. Ezyk of Round Lake, IL
- Eric E. Gillum of Lake Villa, IL
- Mark R. Hirsbrunner of Bloomingdale, IL
- Jessica C. Hsu of Aurora, IL
- Aveek S. Kapat of Oviedo, FL
- Ari M. Krause of Glencoe, IL
- Christopher A. Kuprianczyk of Chicago, IL
- Ye Li of Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Amanda M. Lietz of Cincinnati, OH
- Daniel A. Lyons of Lombard, IL
- Benjamin L. Magolan of Plainfield, IL
- Steven W. Marcinko of McHenry, IL
- Paula-Angela R. Mariano of Lake in the Hills, IL
- Matthew R. Miller of Gurnee, IL
- Hardik D. Parikh of Mumbai, India
- Simone P. Pensabene of Sherman, IL
- Kyle T. Perfect of Brookfield, IL
- Jonathan D. Rolland of Sayville, NY
- Nirali P. Shah of Skokie, IL
- Matthew W. Szott of Orland Park, IL
- Rui Lin Tan of Singapore
- Luke A. Toczek of Antioch, IL
- Jan P. Uhlig of Chicago, IL
- Nathan P. Walter of Evanston, IL
- Justin D. Weberski of Saint Charles, IL
- Kathleen J. Weichman of Albuquerque, NM
- Jeffrey L. Zhou of Geneva, IL
- Jo A. Zoril of Toulon, IL
To view more photos of NPRE's 2013 Honors Banquet, go to NPRE's Facebook page.