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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 6
SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Jacob Cordell
Pennsylvania State University
With research interests in photovol-
taics, Cordell focuses his work on reducing
the cost of solar power and increasing effi-
ciency of solar devices. His recent projects
involved developing characterization tools
at the National Renewable Energy Labo-
ratory to expedite the discovery of photovoltaic absorbers
and analyzing tin sulfide at Penn State as one of these new
absorber materials.
Ann Graff
The Ohio State University
Graff has enjoyed several experi-
ences with biomaterials research, involv-
ing biosensing nanofibers and working
with human gingival tissue and dental
implants. She learned so much in her first
year of materials-specific classes and looks
forward to more focused classes. “I love that you could do
anything in materials science,” she says, “but I see myself
working to improve prosthetics or implants.”
Elliot Smith
University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa
Smith interrupted his sophomore
year to begin a three-semester co-op with
Nucor Steel. His first semester involved
learning about melting, rolling, and fin-
ishing plate processes. In his second term,
he worked in the hot mill, testing descale
nozzle sprays and conducting research on scale growth. His
summer involved testing the physical limits of temper mill
passing on different steel grades.
Robert Seivert
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
“I had always been interested in new
materials development, but it was the
engaging and enthusiastic professors who
sold me on metallurgy,” says Seivert. He
has since completed two internships with
a leading steel manufacturer and is vice
president of his Material Advantage chapter. He plans to
work in commercial materials manufacturing where he can
help create advanced materials for everyday use.
William & Mary Dyrkacz Scholarships
The William & Mary Dyrkacz Scholarships were estab-
lished in 2011 through a generous contribution from the
couple to the ASM Foundation. Dyrkacz, an ASM Fellow,
remembered the scholarships he received while an under-
graduate at Carnegie Tech from 1939-1942. Scholarships are
awarded to outstanding undergraduate members of ASM at
the junior or senior level who demonstrate exemplary aca-
demic and personal achievements, and interest and poten-
tial in metallurgy or materials science and engineering.
Four scholars will receive a certificate and check for $6000
toward educational expenses for one academic year.
Dan Balder
University of Minnesota
Completing an associate’s degree in
nanoscience technology showed Balder
“that in order to move technology forward,
it is necessary to understand the materials
that make up the world around us.” He is
now an undergraduate senior studying
materials engineering and chemistry. He spent the past
three summers as an intern at a printed electronics com-
pany where he worked on improving characterization meth-
ods for metal-based inks.
Tina Berthiaume
Iowa State University
By including a biomedical engineer-
ing minor, Berthiaume is able to see how
engineering is involved with trying to
advance materials integration within the
body. Her goal is to use her education to
assist in the advancements of metals in
the medical industry. “Materials are the baseline for almost
anything, but the biomedical industry is what intrigues me
the most,” she says.
Gregory Mulderink
Northwestern University
Mulderink began early in his sopho-
more year with a simple desire to investi-
gate electronicmaterials of all kinds, which
then developed into his current work with
fabricating novel 2D nanoelectronic semi-
conducting materials. His summer was
spent working on large-scale fabrication of 2D boron and
he is now president of Northwestern’s Material Advantage
chapter.