Announcing the David Neil Ruzic Undergraduate Scholarship

5/1/2021 Phillip Kisubika

Written by Phillip Kisubika

Announcing the David Neil Ruzic Undergraduate Scholarship

NPRE is proud to announce the endowment of the David Neil Ruzic Undergraduate Scholarship, in honor of Professor David Ruzic, a fixture in NPRE for over three decades.

Funded through generous time and monetary contributions from former CPMI (Center for Plasma-Material Interactions) graduates, employers, institutions, friends and family, the David Neil Ruzic Undergraduate Scholarship is to be awarded annually to a 2nd or 3rd year NPRE student.

The student must exemplify the undergraduate experience to pursue “hands-on” applied research experiences, embody the signature “Work Hard, Play Hard” mentality, and be both responsible and proactive to “create” opportunities for success.

“Beginning with the end in mind, over 30 years ago, David recognized the value in providing tangible ‘hands-on’ plasma, modeling, and materials experiences to undergraduates, including exposure to the R&D discovery process, embedding with a graduate student/post-doc team, and interacting with academic, laboratory and industrial stakeholders,” said Brian Jurczyk, President/CEO of Starfire Industries and an NPRE adjunct research assistant professor.

“Through their CPMI journey, David mentors undergraduate students to be proactive, assume responsibility, identify opportunities, find solutions, and communicate effectively.  The motto ‘Work Hard, Play Hard’ resonates with focus and dedication and work/life balance.”

This year’s recipients are NPRE students Joshua Hoffman and Amber Hunter. Below are testimonials to their accomplishments:

 

Joshua Hoffman

“Outside of research, Joshua has excelled academically, having tied in ranking at the top of his incoming class.  Under the guidance of his faculty adviser, Prof. Ruzic, Joshua has laid out an accelerated academic plan to complete his BS in three years and to start his graduate study early.  He plans to pursue a PhD and to continue to work in nuclear fusion research.

“Besides performing outstanding research and academics, Joshua has demonstrated service and leadership excellence.  He has been heavily involved in our American Nuclear Society, serving currently on the Executive Board as Secretary and recently elected as External Vice-President for the upcoming year.  Joshua has served the department as an undergraduate Teaching Assistant in our NPRE 100 orientation class, where one of the primary roles is to mentor to new students.  He has been a Student Ambassador at department outreach and recruiting events, participating as a student panelist and presenting lab demos.  Last summer he contributed to the department’s pivot to on-line course delivery by assembling and operating a glass light board studio used for recording asynchronous lectures.

“As outlined above, Joshua has crammed a lot into his short two years in NPRE.  He has actively demonstrated research, academic, service and leadership excellence.  He well represents his NPRE program, and the plasma and fusion science and engineering area in specific.  He is well deserving of receiving the inaugural David Neil Ruzic Undergraduate Scholarship within NPRE.”

- Becky Meline, NPRE Senior Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs and Academic Advisor

 

Amber Hunter

“This 2nd-year student sets the bar high for those who would earn this prestigious scholarship in the future.  As a Chancellor’s scholar, Amber entered NPRE in the power, safety and environment concentration.  Realizing the necessity and utility of electrical engineering paired with NPRE, she added the EE minor into her coursework schedule.  In her first semester on campus, Amber signed on as an undergraduate research assistant with Prof. Di Fulvio’s Nuclear Measurement Laboratory getting exposure to radiation detection for medical and security applications.

“When the pandemic closed the University and sent students home, Amber put her EMT training and volunteer experience to work full time by joining a medical ambulance company providing real human assistance during the early stages of COVID when the world was most uncertain.  Working remotely with Prof. Katy Huff, she interned over the summer working on 3D reactor visualization.  Once restrictions were lifted on for student employees, she came back to campus and wrapped up work with Prof. Di Fulvio’s group.  Then at the start of her 2nd year with a full class load (some virtual, some in person), Amber accepted a co-op/internship position at Starfire Industries LLC on the University Research Park working on innovative radiation detection—specifically fast neutrons for imaging and analysis.

“This is where my experience with Amber Hunter begins.  Following Prof. David Ruzic’s axiom of “Work Hard, Play Hard”, she dove right into her project setting up a research experiment station for fast neutron imaging.  Amber designed and setup R&D test station (dark box, imaging camera, software coding scripts, image processing, thermal management, optical alignment, calibration measurements, radiation shielding, check sources, neutron generator, dosimetry, etc.).  Amber conducted experiments with nGen® neutron generators, performed data and image analysis, and gave presentations with our company on a new technology that will lead to a first-author publication since her contribution is at that level.  Working part time 12 hours/week over a 5-month period, she outperformed—in research method, intellectual acuity, motivation, and responsiveness—pre-dissertation PhD students that I have mentored over my 20 years’ experience.

“Communicative.  Imaginative.  Self-Starter.  Resourceful.  Independent.  Smart.  Focused.  By way of these qualities, she is embracing opportunities and maximizing her undergraduate experience.  Amber Hunter exemplifies the characteristics that Prof. Ruzic has been installing with undergraduate students over the past 30-plus years through the Center for Plasma-Material Interactions.”

- Brian Jurczyk, President/CEO, Starfire Industries; NPRE Adjunct Research Assistant Professor


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This story was published May 1, 2021.