NPRE Students Recognized for Academic Achievement at 2012 Honors Banquet

Peter R. Fiflis and Michael J. Karich are winners of the NPRE Outstanding Academic Achievement Award to a Graduating Senior.

The award recognizes the graduating seniors with the highest cumulative GPA. Fiflis, of Indian Head Park, Illinois, and Karich, of

Libertyville, Illinois, 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.

Fiflis and Karich were among 105 students NPRE recognized in April during the Department’s 2012 Honors Banquet. 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.

Following is a list of students honored and their awards:

 

NPRE Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award

The NPRE Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award is presented to undergraduate students who have performed exemplary

research in the Department.

• Peter R. Fiflis of Indian Head Park, IL
• Richard J. Kustra of Chicago, IL

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.

• Molly R. Bilderback of Kankakee, 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.

• Jessica C. Hsu of Aurora, IL
• Ben L. Magolan of Plainfield, IL

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.

• Leo E. Kirsch of Frankfort, IL
• Kathleen J. Weichman of Albuquerque, NM

American Nuclear Society Student Chapter Awards - Undergraduate Outstanding Service Award

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 program throughout the academic year is honored.

• Valentyn Bykov of Prague, Czech Republic

ANS 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 program throughout the academic year is honored.

• Brian R. Kleinfeldt of Flossmoor, 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:

• Carlos A. Altamirano of Davie, FL
• Harry W. Arnold IV of McHenry, IL
• Cem Bagdatlioglu of Istanbul, Turkey
• Molly R. Bilderback of Kankakee, IL
• Wesley N. Cowan of Lexington, KY
• Peter R. Fiflis of Indian Head Park, IL
• Jon B. Hansen of O’Fallon, IL
• Ryan D. Holstein of Farmer City, IL
• George J. Isaac of Worcester, MA
• Brian M. Jaros of Naperville, IL
• Matthew J. Jasica Broomfield, CO
• Christopher Kallapodi of Glen Ellyn, IL
• Michael J. Karich of Libertyville, IL
• Ryan L. Kent of the Woodlands, TX
• Leigh A. Kesler of Rantoul, IL
• Leo E. Kirsch of Frankfort, IL
• Stephen M. Kleppinger of Lake Zurich, IL
• Leigh Lin of Buffalo Grove, IL
• James V. Madrigal of Oak Lawn, IL
• Ben L. Magolan of Plainfield, IL
• Brooke L. McClure of Bourbonnais, IL
• Cody A. Morrow of Virden, IL
• Peter A. Mouche of Naperville, IL
• Nicholas W. O’Shea of Chicago, IL
• Jason A. Peck of Fairview Heights, IL
• Brian P. Pekron of Elmhurst, IL
• David J. Peterson of Orland Park, IL
• Jonathan B. Pfingsten of Harvard, IL
• Richard S. Piantini of Kissimmee, FL
• Collin R. Rahrig of Bourbonnais, IL
• Anthony M. Ravnic of Arlington Heights, IL
• Jaspreet S. Rehal of Naperville, IL
• Jeffrey M. Schappaugh of Petersburg, IL
• Joseph A. Serio of West Chicago, IL
• Daniel J. Sheehan of Chicago, IL
• Matthew M. Szott of Orland Park, IL
• Andrew C. Taylor of Champaign, 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
• Jeffrey L. Zhou of Geneva, IL
• Jo A. Zoril of Toulon, IL

Fellowships:

• Neal E. Davis of Champaign, IL
• Brian R. Kleinfeldt of Flossmoor, IL
• Aaron J. Oaks of Brea, CA
• Carolyn A. Tomchik of Urbana, IL

Exelon Corporation - Energy for Education Scholarship

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.

• Quinn T. Vandermeersch of Knoxville, TN
• Margot M. Wilson of Naperville, 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 Academy for Nuclear Training Institute of Nuclear Power Operations

In 1980, INPO decided to help provide a supply of entry-level engineers to fill future nuclear industry employment needs. With utilities’ support, the National Academy for Nuclear Training was established to award scholarships and fellowships to engineering students demonstrating academic achievement and interest in nuclear power careers.

Scholarships (2011-12):

• Leigh A. Kesler of Rantoul, IL
• Brooke L. McClure of Bourbonnais, IL

Fellowship

• Joseph R. Bernhardt of Bloomington, IL

College of Engineering- SURGE Fellowships

The Support for Under-Represented Groups in Engineering (SURGE) Fellowship Program was established to meet the University of IL 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.

Fellowship:

• Joanne N. Li of Richland, WA

Continuing Fellowships:

• Carolina T. Fineman-Sotomayor of Lafayette, California

College of Engineering - Harold and Ruth Hayward/Tau Beta Pi Scholarships

The Hayward Fund was established in 1995 to confirm the commitment of the Haywards to their alma mater the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Through the generosity of Ruth and Harold Hayward and the Tau Beta Pi, honorary engineering society, these scholarships are awarded to outstanding Illinois engineering students on the basis of academic achievement, service, leadership, and initiative.

Continuing Scholarship:

• Jon B. Hansen of O’Fallon, IL

College of Engineering - Boeing Engineering Diversity and Women in Engineering Scholarships

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 Scholarship:

• Amanda M. Lietz of Cincinnati, OH

Alpha Nu Sigma Society

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 2012 Initiates:

• Cem Bagdatlioglu of Akatla, Istanbul
• Louis J. Chapdelaine of Eagan, MN
• Michael T. Cunningham of Chicago, IL
• Kevin T. Egan of Joliet, IL
• Jessica C. Hsu of Aurora, IL

  

• Abhishek Jaiswal of Kathmandu, Nepal
• Brian M. Jaros of Naperville, IL
• Ye Li of Beijing, People’s Republic of China
• Amanda M. Lietz of Cincinnati, OH
• Tim A. Milligan of Benton, IL
• Peter A. Mouche of Naperville, IL
• Jonathan B. Pfingsten of Harvard, IL
• Mona H. Raithatha of Safat, Kuwait
• Priya Raman of Chennai, India
• Jaspreet S. Rehal of Naperville, IL
• Jonathan D. Rolland of Sayville, NY
• Joseph A. Serio of West Chicago, IL
• Bennett T. Williams of Dearborn, MI
• Yang Zhao of Changzhi, People’s Republic of China

Continuing Members:

• Rabie A. Abu Saleem of Al Salt, Jordan
• Joseph R. Bernhardt of Bloomington, IL
• Valentyn Bykov of Prague, Czech Republic
• Liang Cai of Urbana, IL
• Wei-Ying Chen of Champaign, IL
• Xiang Chen of Changzhou, China
• Wesley N. Cowan of Lexington, KY
• Joshua A. Dotson of Urbana, IL
• Peter R. Fiflis of Indian Head Park, IL
• Manas R. Gartia of Attabira, India
• Jonathan George of Bolingbrook, IL
• Jon B. Hansen of O’Fallon, IL
• Matthew J. Jasica of Broomfield, Colorado
• Christopher Kallapodi of Glen Ellyn, IL
• Michael J. Karich of Libertyville, IL
• Leigh A. Kesler of Rantoul, IL
• Seung Jun Kim of Seoul, Korea
• Leo E. Kirsch of Frankfort, IL
• Brian Kleinfeldt of Flossmoor, IL
• Yeldos Kultayev of Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan
• David K. Lartonoix of Urbana, IL
• Nan Li of Champaign, IL
• Leigh Lin of Buffalo Grove, IL
• Ben L. Magolan of Plainfield, IL
• Benjamin C. Masters of Urbana, IL
• Liang Meng of Suzhou Anhui, China
• Yinbin Miao of Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
• Aaron J. Oaks of Brea, California
• 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
• Jeffrey M. Schappaugh of Petersburg, IL
• Daniel J. Sheehan of Chicago, IL
• Ryan A. Switts of O’Fallon, IL
• Matthew M. Szott of Orland Park, IL
• Carolyn A. Tomchik of Urbana, IL
• Hsiao-Ming Tung of Taipei, Taiwan
• Kathleen J. Weichman of Albuquerque, NM
• 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.

• Peter R. Fiflis of Indian Head Park, IL
• Jon B. Hansen of O’Fallon, IL
• Matthew J. Jasica of Broomfield, Colorado
• Leigh A. Kesler of Rantoul, 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 IL’ international reputation.

• Singh Adhiraj of Gurgaon, India
• Omar F. Almasri of Chicago Ridge, IL
• Jordan R. Baczynski of Willow Springs, IL
• Luke W. Barry of Morrison, IL
• Valentyn Bykov of Prague, Czech Republic
• Louis J. Chapdelaine of Eagan, MN
• Nathaniel T. Chapman of Naperville, IL
• Kevin C. D’Souza of Inverness, IL
• Eric C. Gillum of Lake Villa, IL
• Jon B. Hansen of O’Fallon, IL
• Jessica C. Hsu of Aurora, IL
• Matthew J. Jasica of Broomfield, CO
• William M. Karlov of Mount Prospect, IL
• Leo E. Kirsch of Frankfort, IL
• Stephen M. Kleppinger of Lake Zurich, IL
• Matthew S. Kremske of Elmhurst, IL
• Christopher A. Kuprianczyk of Chicago, IL
• Amanda M. Lietz of Cincinnati, OH
• Kyle A. Lindquist of Lisle, IL
• Ben L. Magolan of Plainfield, IL
• Peter A. Mouche of Naperville, IL
• Travis C. Mui of Arlington Heights, IL
• Anthony Park of Bolingbrook, IL
• Benjamin N. Parker of Northbrook, IL
• Gianiuca A. Panici of New Lenox, IL
• Jonathan B. Pfingsten of Harvard, IL
• Vishnu Raveendran of Westmont, IL
• Jaspreet S. Rehal of Naperville, IL
• Daniel J. Roberts of West Chicago, IL
• Jonathan D. Rolland of Sayville, NY
• Daniel J. Sheehan of Chicago, IL
• Molly Sullivan of Champaign, IL
• Ryan A. Switts of O’Fallon, IL
• Matthew M. Szott of Orland Park, IL
• Rui Lin Tan of Singapore
• Kathleen J. Weichman of Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Yuhui Zhao of Chicago, IL
• Jeffrey L. Zhou of Geneva, IL

 To view more photos of NPRE's 2012 Honors Banquet, go to NPRE's Facebook page.