The Nuclear Engineering Division of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) has chosen NPRE Department Head James F. Stubbins as the 2010 winner of the Glenn Murphy Award.
Stubbins was cited for excellence in course and program development; teaching; building international bridges in nuclear engineering education; supervision of student-conducted research activities in the areas of irradiation damage and its effects; development of impedance spectroscopy to monitor and study corrosion; and use of magnetic properties to assess radiation damage in steel. He also was noted for excellence in administration of nuclear engineering education as well as for providing leadership to the leaders by serving as the head of the Nuclear Engineering Department Heads Organization.
An NPRE faculty member the past 30 years and Department Head since 1999, Stubbins has made significant contributions to nuclear engineering in his role as an educator, researcher and administrator.
He was instrumental in revising NPRE’s undergraduate curriculum to incorporate plasma-fusion and radiological aspects with standard nuclear engineering. This enabled the department to weather a downturn in undergraduate enrollments in the 1990’s and to develop the additional foci to enrich the units’ offerings and research. His continued outreach efforts have been clearly demonstrated in NPRE’s seven-year collaboration with the University of Pisa. Through the program, Stubbins travels each May to the Italian university to teach, and, in turn, a group of Italian students come to the Urbana campus each September for a cultural and educational exchange.
Stubbins has contributed major research in the areas of irradiation damage and effects in reactor structural materials; high temperature corrosion for HTGR systems; corrosion in liquid metal systems; and mechanical properties and associated design technologies of reactor structural materials. Recently, Stubbins has:
• developed the use of magnetic properties for assessing radiation damage in steels;
• developed the use of Impedance Spectroscopy to monitor and study corrosion in liquid metal cooled reactor;
• obtained a patent for using electron beams for “machining” of BN nanotubes.
Stubbins has maintained a vigorous graduate program with collaborations with several Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories. Supporting his research efforts, he has served on several materials-related groups and American Nuclear Society divisions, chairing those in the areas of education, materials and fusion.
Stubbins has been active in administration at the Department, College and University levels. At the national level, he has served the DOE and national laboratory groups, providing direction for programs.
Stubbins is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society, has been an ASEE member since 1999, and is a member of the Nuclear Engineering Department Heads Organization, which he chaired from 2002-2003.
He began his career in NPRE in 1980, after earning a bachelor’s in nuclear engineering in 1970 from the University of Michigan, and a master’s in nuclear engineering and PhD in materials science from the University of Cincinnati in 1972 and 1975, respectively. Prior to coming to Illinois, Stubbins held a post doc position at the University of Cincinatti’s Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering Department; a visiting scientist position in the Institute for Materials Research Nuclear Research Center in Karlsruhe, Germany; and a post doc position in the University of Oxfords’ Metallurgy and Science of Materials Department.
Stubbins will be presented the Glenn Murphy Award in June, during the ASEE Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY.
Glenn Murphy was an engineering faculty member at Iowa State University from 1932 until his death in 1978. He attained the rank of Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering and served as the head of Aeronautical Engineering, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. He organized the Department of Nuclear Engineering and served as its head for fourteen years. At the time of his death he was coordinator of the Engineering Education Projects Office in the dean's office at Iowa State University. Dr. Murphy was very active in ASEE, having served as its President in 1962 and Vice President for two terms, 1957-59 and 1965-68.
In honor of Glenn Murphy, this award, endowed by the Friends of Glenn Murphy, the Edison Electric Institute and Iowa State University, is made annually to a distinguished nuclear engineering educator in recognition of notable professional contributions to the teaching of undergraduate and/or graduate nuclear engineering students.
Founded in 1893, ASEE is a nonprofit organization of individuals and institutions committed to furthering education in engineering and engineering technology. In pursuit of academic excellence, ASEE develops policies and programs that enhance professional opportunities for engineering faculty members, and promotes activities that support increased student enrollments in engineering and engineering technology colleges and universities.