NPRE’s faculty, alumni and students collected accolades from a number of awards announced this spring.
Faculty
Jim Stubbins wins ANS Arthur Holly Compton Award
A skilled professional in the classroom, Prof. Jim Stubbins’ contributions to nuclear science engineering education have had national and international impact.
A faculty member in Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering the past 38 years, Stubbins is a skilled professional in the classroom. Students consistently rank his courses as excellent.
Stubbins draws upon his many years of experience working with industry leaders, policy makers and other educators to personalize for his students the major lessons that emerge from the discipline. He is technically masterful, specializing in nuclear materials, and has graduated a large number of master’s and PhD students who have gone on to establish their own distinguished careers. Two of his past students are members of the National Academy of Engineering.
Stubbins’ contributions reach far beyond the boundaries of the classroom. His educational efforts and leadership have had national and international impact.
He helped initiate and has been the lead instructor on a long and fruitful cooperation that exchanges students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Pisa in Italy. As NPRE Department Head for 18 years until August 2017, Stubbins enthusiastically supported establishing a cooperative agreement with the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm in which NPRE faculty and students have traveled to Sweden to learn about the country’s high level nuclear waste storage program. He also shepherded an exchange of Jordanian students to Illinois to help develop the nuclear engineering program at the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST).
Heading the Illinois program, Stubbins joined other university nuclear engineering department heads in annual trips to Capitol Hill to build awareness of and support for nuclear engineering science. When a downtrend in the nuclear power industry led to smaller enrollments nationwide, Stubbins worked with utility giant Exelon Corp. to create scholarships in NPRE to attract more students. Undergraduate enrollment rose to a record high during his tenure as department head.
Also during his tenure, Stubbins doubled the size of the NPRE faculty to 16 tenure-track members. His strategic recruitment to attract experts in NPRE’s three tracks drew faculty specializing in risk analysis and assessment; nuclear power computations, safety, physics, modeling and experimentation; plasma physics with applications for semiconductor processing, biomedical techniques and fusion energy; and radiological instrumentation and detection.
Shortly after the Fukushima, Japan, nuclear disaster occurred in 2011, Stubbins recognized the need to respond to public concern and authorized a special campus-wide seminar that drew over 300 individuals. He also became the university’s go-to expert for the media in helping the public understand what the disaster meant for nuclear reactors and nuclear safety. His accessibility to the media and thorough explanation of events led the university to recognize him with that year’s Media Relations Award.
Stubbins’ leadership in advancing nuclear technology became highly visible and effective following the special informational forum, “Nuclear Power: What it means in Illinois,” held in Chicago in October 2016. Working with others, Stubbins led the efforts to organize the daylong forum at which state legislators were invited to learn about the consequences of the proposed closures of nuclear power plants in the Quad Cities and Clinton, Illinois. The informative event helped lawmakers decide to pass legislation to retain the plants’ viability.
Stubbins’ contributions to nuclear engineering education had been recognized previously with the 2010 American Society for Engineering Education Glenn Murphy Award.
Campus recognizes Rizwan Uddin for Graduate and Professional Teaching
Learning from excellent teachers of his own and remembering what it was like to be a student drives NPRE Prof. Rizwan Uddin’s passion for teaching.
Uddin, who received the award in the Celebration of Teaching Excellence ceremony held April 12, has been included in the university’s List of Teachers Ranked Excellent by Their Students every year since he began as an assistant professor at Illinois in 1996. The American Nuclear Society Illinois student chapter chose him 11 times for NPRE’s annual Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award.
His impact in graduate teaching has resulted in three of his students being chosen as winners of the annual ANS Mark Mills Award. The national competition recognizes the graduate student author who submits the best original technical paper contributing to the advancement of science and engineering related to the atomic nucleus. Uddin won the Mark Mills Award himself in 1987.
An ANS Fellow, Uddin was recognized with that society’s 2016 ANS Arthur Holly Compton Award as well as the 2015 American Society of Engineering Education’s Glenn Murphy Award for his teaching and research accomplishments. He was honored in Spring 2017 with the Urbana campus Award for Excellence in Guiding Undergraduate Research.
An NPRE alumnus, Uddin has made seminal research contributions in modeling and simulation of reactor engineering problems. His contributions also include pioneering work in the use of 3D immersive, virtual reality systems and computer games for education and training in the nuclear field. He directs the Virtual Education and Research Laboratory in NPRE.
Uddin became NPRE Department Head in August 2017. For the past two years, he has directed the Master of Engineering in Energy Systems Program and the Energy and Sustainability Engineering (EaSE) Council.
Uddin earned his master’s degree and PhD in NPRE in 1983 and 1987, respectively. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1980 from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey.
Alumni
College honors NPRE alumni Mark Zediker and John Kotek
This spring two NPRE alumni gained College of Engineering awards for distinguished service: John Kotek, for contributions to U.S. nuclear power policy, and Mark Zediker, for turning knowledge into successful entrepreneurial ventures.
Mark S. Zediker and John F. Kotek, graduates of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering, are winners of the 2018 College of Engineering Alumni Award for Distinguished Service.
“Mark, with his keen ability for turning knowledge into successful entrepreneurial ventures, and John, with his significant contributions to nuclear power policy in this country, are both outstanding representatives of NPRE alumni,” said Department Head Rizwan Uddin. “It is with great pride that we note that two of the College’s five honorees this year are NPRE alums.”
Zediker and Kotek were recognized at the College Awards Convocation on April 7.
As the chief executive officer and co-founder of NUBURU, Inc., Zediker leads the invention and manufacturing of the world’s first high-power blue laser.
Zediker began his career at McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis in 1983, where he worked on laser communication systems and laser weapon systems. Here he developed a thorough understanding of diode laser systems, diode pumped lasers, and laser communications methods. When McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in 1997, the opportunity arose to expand upon diode laser technology.
In 1998, Zediker started his first laser company, Nuvonyx, Inc., which is a provider of high-power laser diode components, arrays, and industrial laser systems for materials processing and defense applications. Zediker was responsible for raising funds from corporate sponsors, venture capitalists, and government sources. He developed plans for business, marketing, hiring, personnel, acquisitions, and technology development. Nuvonyx, Inc. had 100 percent revenue growth annually over a five-year period. The prosperity of the organization led to the sale of two divisions: Nuvonyx Europe to Quantel and Nuvonyx to Coherent.
In 2009, Zediker started Foro Energy, which commercializes the application of high-power lasers for the oil, natural gas, geothermal, and mining industries. In 2010, Zediker’s team received a $9.1 million Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy grant to develop a high-power laser drilling system for geothermal applications.
In 2015, Zediker founded NUBURU, Inc., his third company. NUBURU developed the first-to-market class of high-power, high-performance blue lasers that led the transformation to a world of high-speed, high-quality metal machining and processing. The AO-150 is NUBURU’s first product, and it is a finalist for this year’s PRISM Award because of its advancement in using visible lasers for welding.
Zediker is a member of the University of Illinois Physics Advisory Board, helping with strategic development for the department. He collaborated with Illinois Prof. J.J. Coleman and his students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to write and publish more than a dozen papers between 2001 and 2004. He has edited 16 conference proceedings and published more than 200 journal papers and articles. Zediker has authored 70 patents and has 20 additional patents pending. He is also a member of several professional organizations.
In addition to having earned master’s and PhD degrees from NPRE in 1983 and 1984, respectively, Zediker earned a bachelor’s degree in 1978 from Engineering Physics at Illinois.
As the vice president for policy development and public affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), Kotek is responsible for providing policy and public affairs leadership on financial, economic, tax, electricity market, and environmental issues related to the nuclear energy industry.
He began his career with the U.S. Department of Energy in 1989, where he managed a variety of nuclear energy research and production programs. Kotek joined Argonne National Laboratory-West in 1999, and in 2002, he was selected as the American Nuclear Society’s Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Fellow. He worked under Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), who was the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee. After completing the fellowship, Kotek returned to the Department of Energy, serving as Deputy Manager of DOE’s Idaho Operations Office. In this role, he was responsible for federal management of the newly-formed Idaho National Laboratory.
In 2007, Kotek became the managing partner of the Gallatin Public Affairs office in Boise, Idaho. He advised energy, natural resources, and other clients facing complex communication and government relations challenges. During this time, from 2010-2012, he served as staff director to the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, which recommended a new strategy for managing nuclear waste in the United States. And in 2012, Kotek was named to the Governor of Idaho’s Leadership in Nuclear Energy Commission.
In January 2015, Kotek was appointed to the position of principal deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy. Later that year, in October 2015, President Barack Obama appointed Kotek to serve as assistant secretary for nuclear energy, which is the country’s top nuclear energy office. In 2017, he was honored with the NPRE Distinguished Alumni Award.
In addition to earning a bachelor’s degree from NPRE in 1989, Kotek earned a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Maryland in 1995.
Craig Laughton named 2018 NPRE Distinguished Alumnus
Craig Laughton advises students to be lifetime learners: “You simply never know when something you’ve learned will be useful to you.”
Laughton and his partner, Jim Dube, co-founded Lifeline Software, Inc., in 1999. Laughton developed RadCalc®, a software program that provides fully automated independent dosimetric validation calculations for conventional, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and volumetric modulated arc treatment (VMAT) planning systems. RadCalc® now is used in over 2,200 clinics around the world, and over 1,600 in the United States, alone. It was the first software to introduce an IMRT solution and the first to provide a quality assurance software solution for VMAT treatment plans. It furthermore was the first to provide 3-dimensional validation for Brachytherapy treatments. RadCalc software supports the treatments of well over 100,000 cancer patients daily.
For over 20 years, Laughton has generously supported NPRE programs, including student scholarships and fellowships. He serves on NPRE’s Constituent Alumni and Industry Advisory Board.
For over 23 years, he has been married to his wife, Charlotte, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Illinois. The couple have two grown children, Rachel, who is graduating this year from Baylor University with a degree in finance and risk management, and Jonathan, who is beginning his college career to pursue a degree in computer science.
The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to NPRE alumni who make notable advances in the field of nuclear science, and/or lasting contributions to society in general. Through their careers and voluntary service, these individuals bring honor upon themselves as well as to their fellow graduates, the Department, the College of Engineering, and the University of Illinois.
Of the achievements throughout your career, please elaborate on the ones that have given you the most satisfaction and why?
During my career, the achievements that have given me the most satisfaction are ones where I uncover problems with a customer’s physics data they use for patient calculations. These are particularly satisfying because they end up ensuring cancer patients receive the correct amount of radiation dose for their treatment. On the more human side of things, I find it rather rewarding that my company is able to provide an excellent salary and benefits to our employees.
What have been the most useful lessons you have taken from your time as an NPRE student, and who helped you to learn them?
It has been nearly 30 years since I have been a student in NPRE so it is very hard for me to remember very many lessons from my time there. Honestly, I can only remember one and this came during an advisor meeting with Prof. George Miley. I wanted to drop a psychology class because I really did not like it. Professor Miley gave me advice that my father would give and that was that not everything we do in life is enjoyable so you just have to “tough it out.” I use that one with my children, so it must have been pretty good.
What have been the most useful lessons you have learned during your career?
The most useful lesson I have learned throughout my career is to always be a learner. Learning new things is always beneficial because you never know when they may be useful to you. For example, I read books on C-Programming and Unix shell scripting because I thought they might be useful for my job. I had no idea that I would end up using those skills to make a product and sell it to radiation oncology clinics.
Who have been your inspirations, particularly in NPRE?
I was never particularly close to anyone in the NPRE department when I was a student; however, I did always admire Prof. Barclay Jones. He always seemed like a kind-hearted person that really cared about the students. There are two graduates of NPRE that have inspired me by their dedication to the department. These would be my brother and his wife, Terrill and Debbie Laughton. Their work to reach out to the alumni and create new scholarship funds has always impressed me and inspired me to be more connected to NPRE.
What advice can you offer current students?
For current students, the main advice I would give is to always be learning. I realize that may be a cliché, but you simply never know when something you’ve learned will be useful to you.
There may be many courses and topics you study in college that do not seem particularly useful at the time, but your studies are not just about the content. They are also about learning how to take information and apply it. That is a skill that will always be useful.
Do you have any comments on or predictions for the future of your industry?
For my particular industry, Medical Physics, the future continues to be strong. The amount of innovation that has taken place over the past 20 years has been phenomenal. There are no signs of this slowing down. It continues to grow in complexity and automation. The quality assurance tasks that clinical physicists must perform today as opposed to 20 or even 10 years ago have probably tripled while the staffing levels have not. This reality is driving the industry to create more sophisticated and automated tools to help with their daily tasks.
Brad Radl named 2018 NPRE Advocate Award winner
Brad Radl predicts great advances for the energy industry: “There is, and will continue to be in the near future, tremendous opportunity for invention and innovation that can alter how the world is powered.”
In addition to his NPRE degree, Radl holds an MBA in Finance and Economics from Case Western Reserve University. He has parlayed the knowledge he gained at NPRE in the areas of physics, systems design and analysis, and teamwork to solving problems in the area of real-time control of complex problems. He has used this engineering skill set in a range of energy production facilities including nuclear, fossil and renewable energy.
Taber International provides solutions to fossil-fired power plants, focusing on heat rate gains and nitrogen oxide emissions reductions through applications of intelligent sootblowing, combustion optimization, and hydrogen pressure optimization on generators. The company has developed the Griffin Toolkit, capable of addressing opportunities in ‘big data’ problem sets and optimization and integration of renewable energy onto the grid.
In 2015 Radl established the Taber International LLC Fund to support the Master of Engineering Energy Systems degree that NPRE administers in the University of Illinois College of Engineering. Several students pursuing the degree have benefited from being named Taber Scholars.
The NPRE Advocate Award recognizes alumni and friends who have demonstrated their loyalty to NPRE through volunteer efforts, financial contributions, and/or other forms of advocacy.
Of the achievements throughout your career, please elaborate on the ones that have given you the most satisfaction and why?
Starting and founding my own companies. The challenge of coming up with commercial ideas and taking them from concept to installation and impact operations of power plants in significant way. The most significant being technology. Having my own company allowed me the freedom to research and implement ideas, that perhaps others thought were not possible, such as applying artificial intelligence to model and actively modify the operation of digital control systems. It also allowed the ability to 'find' my own team of like-minded engineers creating synergies that permitted us to achieve goals larger companies found difficult.
What have been the most useful lessons you have taken from your time as an NPRE student, and who helped you to learn them?
Dr. (John) Gilligan, Prof. (Dan) Hang, and Prof. (George) Miley all were very helpful at open door advising, even when I was not a student of theirs for classes. The interchange of ideas, a passion for learning and going after new ideas outside the textbooks were good testaments to the education that did not end when you received your degree. The Senior Project, in which we had a team of several students working together, was the best part of the education. Each student had different mini-goals, while we pursued the larger goal of designing a reverse spheroid fusion pinch reactor. Fine tuning the physics to meet the challenges of the fellow students handling metallurgy, energy capture, and control, was quite an eye opener on the many trade-offs necessary to an engineering project and the importance of clear concise communication among that team.
What have been the most useful lessons you have learned during your career?
Make plans, don't just jump into new things, but count on the plan not working so backups plans and adjustments are important. Failure would appear to be a prerequisite for success; but minimizing failures by thinking actions through first can save time and effort.
Who have been your inspirations, particularly in NPRE?
See Question 3 for college days. In the current NPRE, I have enjoyed my interchange of ideas with Profs. Jim Stubbins and Rizwan Uddin. Their drive and willingness to put effort into change and recognition of the challenges in a dynamic energy engineering field have been the inspiration to help NPRE and the Energy System program in particular.
What advice can you offer current students?
Embrace the opportunity at the University of Illinois to learn from the best. Don't be afraid to chase new or different ideas. I have been told many times about the things that cannot be done, but for engineers the constraint is physics and the willingness to persevere.
Do you have any comments on or predictions for the future of your industry?
The only real given is it will not look the same in 20 years. The era of fossil fuels is giving way to solid state and low cost or “free” fuel type technology. There is, and will continue to be in the near future, tremendous opportunity for invention and innovation that can alter how the world is powered.
Students
Students lauded in 2018 Honors Banquet
Academic excellence, service and leadership was the common thread of students lauded during the NPRE 2018 Honors Banquet.
Held in April in conjunction with the American Nuclear Society at Illinois Student Chapter organization, the NPRE event recognizes students for earning awards from the Department, College of Engineering, campus, national organizations 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.
NPRE Departmental Awards
The NPRE Outstanding Academic Achievement Awards to a Graduating Senior are presented to graduating seniors with the highest cumulative grade point averages.
- Andreas M. Giakas of Rockford, IL
- Xinyao Liang of Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Jeremy J.H. Mettler of Sioux Falls, SD
- Grant M. Schumock of Geneva, IL
- Zachary J. Jeckell of Silvis, IL
- Jeremy J.H. Mettler of Sioux Falls, SD
- Xinyao Liang of Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Gyutae Park of Pusan, South Korea
- Andrew J. Shone of Saint Charles, IL
- The 2018 Hang Award was presented to Joel Brassfield of Lincoln, IL, Emily Gordon of Urbana, IL, Holly Hernandez of Glendale Heights, IL, and Salvador Rosas of Chicago, IL, for their project, "Vibration Reduction Bracing System (VRBS)."
American Nuclear Society Student Chapter Awards
The Student Chapter of the American Nuclear Society selects the ANS Undergraduate Outstanding Service Award recipient. The undergraduate students who have most actively supported the ANS Student Chapter and its programs throughout the academic year are honored.
- Isabella M. Iaccino of Iverness, IL
- Jacob A. Tellez of Monument, CO
The Student Chapter of the American Nuclear Society selects the ANS Graduate Outstanding Service Award recipient. The graduate students who have most actively supported the ANS Student Chapter and its programs throughout the academic year are honored.
- Katherine C. Hepler of Urbana, IL
- Gregory R. Romanchek of Lake Forest, IL
College of Engineering Open House
The American Nuclear Society Student Chapter at Illinois was presented the 2018 First Place for Presentation of Society award during EOH 2018. Among exhibits were the Mousetrap Reactor, the Fusor, the DC Glow Chamber, the Can Crusher, Geiger counter and Cloud Champer setups, dosimeters and other applications.
American Nuclear Society National Awards
Commendation for Service and Leadership
- Jeremy J.H. Mettler of Sioux Falls, SD
2017 John and Muriel Landis Scholarship
- Andrei Rykhlevskii of Russia
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:
- William R. Brockschmidt of Jacksonville, IL
- Matthew E. Kabelitz of Northbrook, IL
- Nathan M. Kennedy of Crystal Lake, IL
- Tyler R. Kennelly of Oswego, IL
- Matthew J. Kozak of Orland Park, IL
- Kelsey E. Luo of Woodridge, IL
- Jeremy J.H. Mettler of Sioux Falls, SD
- Dario G. Panici of New Lenox, IL
- Dean R. Price of Winter Park, FL
- Grant G. Schumock of Geneva, IL
- Andrew J. Shone of Saint Charles, IL
- Jacob A. Tellez of Monument, CO
Fellowships:
- Nathan E. Colgan of Radnor, PA
- Alexander L. Heald of Bonsall, CA
- Peter A. Mouche of Naperville, IL
- Dominic R. Piedmont of Timonium, MD
- Victoria Riso of Hamburg, NY
- Nathan P. Walter of Evanston, IL
Exelon Corporation - Energy for Education Scholarship
This scholarship program was established to encourage talented students interested in a career with Exelon Corporation. Exelon does business in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, and is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators.
- Lauren Nicole L. Ditmars of Byron, IL
- Dylan R. Kudia of Plainfield, IL
- Nayeli Lara of West Chicago, IL
- Ryan J. Pullara of Minooka, IL
- Eliza D. Wright of Naperville, IL
Lam Research Corporation Outstanding Graduate Student Award
Lam Research Corporation, the leading supplier of wafer fabrication equipment and services to the global semiconductor industry, has recognized graduate student Matthew M. Szott with the 2017 Lam Research Corporation Scholarship.
- Matthew M. Szott of Orland Park, IL
National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship
The National Science Foundation has awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship to support the studies of Matthew Parsons, who is working with HIDRA, the unique plasma/fusion facility in the Center for Plasma-Material Interactions.
- Matthew S. Parsons of Westminster, MD
U.S. Department of Energy, Nuclear Energy University Program Scholarship
The U.S. Department of Energy awards Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) Scholarships and Fellowships to undergraduates pursuing nuclear energy-related engineering and science degrees.
Scholarships:
- Alyssa L. Hayes of Gurnee, IL
- Grant M. Schumock of Geneva, IL
Continuing Fellowship:
- Joseph L. Bottini of Framingham, MA
- Katherine C. Hepler of Urbana, IL
- Daniel J. O’Grady of Evergreen Park, IL
Consortium for Nonproliferation Enabling Capabilities (CNEC)
Sponsored by the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration CNEC’s goal is to become the preeminent research and education hub dedicated to the development of enabling technologies and technical talent for meeting present and future grand challenges in nuclear nonproliferation. The education and training of graduate students who are actively involved in research relevant to nonproliferation is a key component of the CNEC mission.
- Karl A. Roth of Martinton, IL
Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship
Sponsored by the DOE, Heather N. Sandefur of Urbana, IL, is working in the Center for Plasma-Material Interaction on a graduate research fellowship.
- Heather N. Sandefur of Batesville, AR
College of Engineering at Illinois Scholarships
Anthony R. Ruzzo has received the Hilda J. Alseth Scholarship in Engineering. Hilda J. Alseth was the College of Engineering Librarian from 1918 until 1954. The scholarship was established in 1972.
- Anthony R. Ruzzo of Naperville, IL
Karla M. Del Cid-Ledezma has received the Robert K. Baetzmann Scholarship. Robert Baetzmann was a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Illinois from 1930-1932. Through his generosity, the Baetzmann scholarship fund was established in 2005.
- Karla M. Del Cid-Ledezma of Rio Rancho, NM
Alex M. Berowski has received the Contratto St. Clair County Scholarship. The James Contratto Scholarship Fund was established in 2010 as a result of an estate gift from Nina Contratto in memory of her husband, James Contratto, a 1931 Civil Engineering graduate. These scholarships are awarded to engineering students from St. Clair County, Illinois.
- Alex M. Berowski of Smithton, IL
Connor A. Pigg has received the Eggers Engineering Scholarship. Fred A. Eggers was a 1939 graduate of the University of Illinois, having earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. The Fred Eggers Fund was established in 1981.
- Connor A. Pigg of Mount Vernon, IL
Eduardo Orozco Rodriguez and Alyssa L. Hayes hold continuing scholarships from the Engineering Excellence Scholarship Fund. These scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate extremely high performance in ACT or SAT examinations and high school work.
- Eduardo Orozo Rodriguez of Chicago, IL
- Alyssa L. Hayes of Gurnee, IL
Five NPRE students have been awarded Engineering Freshmen Scholarships.
- David J. Atwater of Downers Grove, IL
- Michael A. Chiasson of Long Grove, IL
- Andrew Jung Su Kim of La Salle, IL
- Alexander J. Morain of Arlington Heights, IL
- Michael S. Rivkin of Wilmette, IL
The Engineering Visionary Scholarship Endowment Fund boosts the College of Engineering’s ability to bring the best engineers to Illinois by making college more affordable for students and their families. Following is a list of NPRE students who have received the scholarships.
- Adolfo Baca of Addison, IL
- Christopher Bitters of Hinsdale, IL
- Andrew J.H. Ingram of Sidney, IL
- Zachary J. Jeckell of Silvis, IL
- Jazz D. Kroeger of Washington, IL
- Nayeli Lara of Chicago, IL
- Dhruval K. Patel of Hanover Park, IL
- Connor A. Pigg of Mount Vernon, IL
- Eliza D. Wright of Naperville, IL
Zoe R. Richter has received the Wilmer Hellenthal Scholarship. Wilmer Hellenthal was a 1940 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, having earned his bachelor’s of science degree in mechanical engineering. The Wilmer Hellenthal Scholarship Fund was established in 1993.
- Zoe R. Richter of Manito, IL
Illinois Engineering Achievement Scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate extremely high performance in ACT or SAT examinations and high school work
- Alex M. Berowski of Smithton, IL
- Karla M. Del Cid-Ledezma of Rio Rancho, NM
- Matthew J. Kozak of Orland Park, IL
- Jeremy J.H. Mettler of Sioux Falls, SD
- Anthony R. Ruzzo of Naperville, IL
Jazz D. Kroeger received the Sargent and Lundy Engineering Scholarship. The Sargent and Lundy Fund was established in 2000 by a dedicated group of Engineering at Illinois alumni and friends employed at Sargent and Lundy. This fund provides scholarship support to high-achieving students from across the college.
- Jazz D. Kroeger of Washington, IL
The WYSE Scholarship Fund provides merit scholarships to incoming freshmen who place well in the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering academic challenge.
- Alex M. Berowski of Smithton, IL
- Alexander J. Morain of Arlington Heights, IL
The Illinois Scholars Undergraduate Research (ISUR) Program offers selected students a two-semester experience with a research learning community. Through ISUR, students become familiar with research methodologies, develop research skills, gain exposure to what graduate school entails, and gain experience needed for graduate school acceptance. ISUR scholars present their research in an annual expo held in the spring.
- Gregory R. Romanchek of Lake Forest, IL
College of Engineering departments nominate incoming doctoral students from under-represented communities for the SURGE Fellowship program, which the College administers. This fellowship is designed to increase diversity within the engineering student body.
- Michael A. Lively of Royal Oak, MI
Michael A. Lively was accepted as Mavis Future Faculty Fellows for the 2018-19 academic year. The MF3 Program in the College of Engineering was developed to facilitate the training of the next generation of great engineering professors. The three main components to the MF3 Program are research, teaching and mentoring.
- Michael A. Lively of of Royal Oak, MI
The Beckman Graduate Fellows Program, supported by funding from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, offers University of Illinois graduate students at the M.A., M.S., or Ph.D. level the opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary research at the Institute.
- Zhikun Cai of China
Alpha Nu Sigma
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.
Continuing Members:
- Jin Whan Bae of Champaign, IL
- Joseph L. Bottini of Framingham, MA
- William R. Brockschmidt of Jacksonville, IL
- Zhikun Cai of Jiaomei Town, China
- Michael P. Christenson of Champaign, IL
- Mikhail S. Finko of Clarendon Hills, IL
- Jonathan George of Bolingbrook, IL
- Andreas M. Giakas of Rockford, IL
- Matthew E. Kabelitz of Northbrook, IL
- Aveek S. Kapat of Oviedo, FL
- Vineet Kumar of Champaign, IL
- Xiang Liu of Zhongxiang, Hubei, China
- Benjamin C. Masters of Urbana, IL
- Jeremy J. Mettler of Sioux Falls, SD
- Peter A. Mouche of Naperville, IL
- Cody D. Moynihan of Milstadt, IL
- Daniel J. O’Grady of Evergreen Park, IL
- Nicholas W. O'Shea of Chicago, IL
- Dhruval K. Patel of Hanover Park, IL
- Pawel A. Piotrowicz of Chicago, IL
- Majdi I.A. Radaideh of Champaign, IL
- Nathan C. Reid of Naperville, IL
- Zoe R. Richter of Manito, IL
- Steven A. Stemmley of Bethalto, IL
- Matthew M. Szott of Orland Park, IL
- Jan P. Uhlig of Chicago, IL
- Xu Wu of Urbana, IL
- Jifu Zhao of Urbana, IL
- Weicheng Zhong of Champaign, IL
- Erik P. Ziehm of Palatine, IL
Senior 100 Honorary
Sponsored by the University of Illinois Alumni Alliance and Student Alumni Ambassadors, Senior 100 Honorary aims to recognize 100 new Illinois graduates for their notable achievements as students as well as their future commitment to the University.
- Jeremy J.H. Mettler of Sioux Falls, SD
Bronze Tablet
Each academic year, the names of students ranking in the top 3 percent of their graduating class are inscribed on a Bronze Tablet. These tablets are on display in the first floor hallway of the Main Library.
- Jeremy J.H. Mettler of Sioux Falls, SD
University of Illinois 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.
- Alp Aktuna of Edwardsville, IL
- Alex M. Berowski of Smithton, IL
- William R. Brockschmidt of Jacksonville, IL
- Andew J.H. Ingram of Sidney, IL
- Alexander J. Morain of Arlington Heights, IL
- Dario G. Panici of New Lenox, IL
- Zoe R. Richter of Manito, IL
University of Illinois James Scholars
The James Scholars 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.
- Ishaan S. Attri of Princeton Junction, NJ
- Ying Cao of China
- Heyuan Huang of Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Dylan Irlbeck of Lake Zurich, IL
- Nayeli Lara of Chicago, IL
- Andy Liu of Baton Rouge, LA
- Michelle L. McCord of Canton, GA
- Jeremy J. Mettler of Sioux Falls, SD
- Alexander J. Morain of Arlington Heights, IL
- Cody D. Moynihan of Millstadt, IL
- Dario G. Panici of New Lenox, IL
- Connor A. Pigg of Mount Vernon, IL
- Grant M. Schumock of Geneva, IL
- Jack T. Stahl of Arlington Heights, IL
- James T. Wegner of Naperville, IL
- Eliza D. Wright of Naperville, IL
- Nanyu Zhao of Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
Engineering at Illinois Dean’s List
Eligible undergraduates must have achieved a GPA for a given semester that places them in the top 20 percent of their college. The following listing is for Spring and Fall 2017.
- David J. Atwater of Downers Grove, IL
- William R. Brockschmidt of Jacksonville, IL
- Ying Cao of China
- Linfeng Chen of Hangzhou, China
- Michael A. Chiasson of Long Grove, IL
- Daniel S. Chiu of Fresh Meadows, NY
- Christian D. Clark of Dixon, IL
- Joshua C. Devorkin of Mequon, WI
- John M. Eastwood of Aurora, IL
- Andrew J. Fink of Libertyville, IL
- Luke M. Gasparich of Elmhurst, IL
- Andreas M. Giakas of Rockford, IL
- Ethan A. Graven of Arlington Heights, IL
- Kyle R. Hamaker of McHenry, IL
- Andrew C. Herschberg of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
- Heyuan Huang of Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Andrew J.H. Ingram of Sidney, IL
- Dylan Irlbeck of Lake Zurich, IL
- Matthew E. Kabelitz of Northbrook, IL
- August S. Kasten of Champaign, IL
- Nathan M. Kennedy of Crystal Lake, IL
- Tyler R. Kennelly of Oswego, IL
- Alec T. Kleczkowski of Chicago Ridge, IL
- Matthew J. Kozak of Orland Park, IL
- Jazz D. Kroeger of Washington, IL
- Xinyao Liang of Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Kelsey E. Luo of Woodridge, IL
- Michelle L. McCord of Canton, GA
- Jeremy J. Mettler of Sioux Falls, SD
- Beau K. Minnick of Princeton, IL
- Alexander J. Morain of Arlington Heights, IL
- Cody D. Moynihan of Milstadt, IL
- Dario G. Panici of New Lenox, IL
- Gyutae Park of Pusan, South Korea
- Dhruval K. Patel of Hanover Park, IL
- Connor A. Pigg of Mount Vernon, IL
- Dean R. Price of Winter Park, FL
- Michael S. Rivkin of Wilmette, IL
- Grant M. Schumock of Geneva, IL
- Andrew J. Shone of Saint Charles, IL
- Muzammil A. Siddiqui of Darien, IL
- John B. Smith III of Saint Charles, IL
- James M. Stearns of Elgin, IL
- Stuti R. Surani of Vadodara, India
- Phillip J. Tanton of Kailua, HI
- Matthew A. Weiss of Venon Hills, IL
- Eliza D. Wright of Naperville, IL
- Nanyu Zhao of Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
To see more photos from the 2018 Honors Banquet, go to NPRE's Facebook page!