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Student Awards
Outstanding MatSci Sophomore Award

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2022 Recipient

Levi Hoogendoorn

2020 Recipient

Jacob Mack – Jacob joined the Dunand group at the start of this year, and has been working on developing freeze cast iron-based foams for battery applications, and helped gather, and subsequently analyze, tomography data on these samples on the beamline at Argonne National Lab. He is a member of the Northwestern Formula Racing Team, drill section leader for the saxophone section of the Northwestern University Marching Band, and a member of the Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity.

2019 Recipient

Paul Brown – Paul joined the Hersam research group earlier this year and investigates low-dimensional ambient-reactive materials  In addition to his research and his major in materials science and engineering, Paul is pursuing a minor in Art History. He is active in many arts organizations on campus, including serving as first assistant director for the Northwestern Sketch Television club, and the executive producer for WNUR Jazz, and has the desire to apply skills learned from liberal and creative arts to STEM fields.

2018 Recipient

William Jeang – A member of the Rogers research group, William won first place in the national Material Advantage Undergraduate Speaking Contest in fall 2017 for his presentation about wearable biomedical technology. He enjoys teaching and participating in science outreach events, including Career Day for Girls and Splash. He coached local middle school students to a 4th place state-wide finish in the Science Olympiad competition at the University of Illinois. A member of the MatSci Club executive board, William helps create opportunities for upperclassmen and underclassmen to interact.

2017 Recipient

Yvonne Chart – A member of the Varsity Fencing Team and the Barnett research group, Yvonne exhibits leadership, dedication, and passion for both fencing and for materials science. Her ability to balance a very rigorous academic work load with the significant demands of a top-10 varsity athletics team are impressive by any standards. She takes part in two different leadership programs offered by the Athletics Department and is frequently studying the ways in which she can continue to develop her ability to bring out the best in others. She is always the first to volunteer help and goes out of her way to offer assistance, mentorship, or friendship to her teammates and she is always a cheerful and active participant in MatSci class discussions.

2016 Recipient

Kyle Bushick – A Murphy scholar, Kyle developed an interest in computational materials design after working on a freshman design (DTC) project with the Olson group related to developing TRIP-180 steel for military/industrial applications.  He spent the summer after his freshman year modeling aluminum strengthening mechanisms, and led his own independent research on high entropy alloys at QuesTek.  He has also begun research on multianion compounds with the Wolverton group.  An outstanding student and a leader outside of the classroom, Kyle has served as a McCormick peer advisor.  He is also co-president and captain of the Men’s Club Fencing Team.

2014 Recipient

Spencer Park - Spencer is an MSE major in MEAS and a trumpet performance major in the Bienan School of Music. During summer 2013 and the following academic year, he worked with the Lauhon group to synthesize thin films of MoS2 using chemical vapor deposition. He serves as a math and science tutor with the Northwestern University Tutors and as vice-president of the energy sector research group in the Northwestern University Investment Management Group (IMG).

2013 Recipient

Edward Pang - Edward is an MSE major in MEAS. During summer 2012, he worked at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland Ohio to investigate superelastic intermetallic materials for use as bearings on the international space station. An image from that work was chosen as the April image in the 2013 Buehler Microstructure Calendar. He is currently a member of Professor Dunand's research group where he characterizes ultralight metallic microlattices. He is also an active member of the Northwestern Formula SAE team and led an effort to incorporate structural composite materials into the car design. In addition to his engineering-related activities, he is a member of the NU Concert Band.