Drexel Materials students have proven themselves to be exceptional among their peers in all disciplines and have been acknowledged with a slate of prestigious Drexel University end of the year awards, presented by the Office of Graduate Studies.
Outstanding Promise Doctoral Award
Outstanding Promise Doctoral Award Winner Michael Naguib
Graduating Ph.D. student Michael Naguib (advisors: Michel Barsoum and Yury Gogotsi) is the recipient of the Outstanding Promise Doctoral Award in the category of Mathematical Sciences and Engineering.
Michael is one of two recipients of this year’s award, presented to graduating doctoral students who are deemed to exhibit great promise in enhancing Drexel’s reputation in the future. The awards, with a cash prize of $1000 and a certificate of recognition, are in the following categories: Social Sciences (for students in Business, Education, Information Science, Psychology); Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (for students in Mathematics, all Engineering programs); and Physical and Life Sciences (for students in Bioscience, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science and Policy, Biomedical Engineering, Nursing and Health Professions, Public Health).
Michael is the eighth Materials student to receive this award formerly known as the "Most Promise to Enhance Drexel's Reputation." Previous award winners from Materials include Nina Lane (2013—advisor: Michel Barsoum); Murat Kurtoglu (2011—advisor: Yury Gogotsi), Stephen Niezgoda (2010—advisor: Surya Kalidindi), Jessica Schiffman (2009—advisor: Caroline Schauer), and Davide Matthia (2008), María Pía Rossi (2007), and Ranjan Dash (2006), all advised by Gogotsi.
Outstanding Master’s Award
Outstanding Master's Award Recipient Yujun Xie
Graduating B.S./M.S. student Yujun “Terry” Xie (advisor: Steven May) has been awarded the Outstanding Master’s Award in the category of Mathematical Sciences and Engineering.
Terry is one of three students selected to receive the award, “presented to master’s degree students at Drexel who demonstrate the highest standards of scholarship, leadership ability and strong commitment to civic responsibility among their peers.” Recipients receive a prize of $500 and a certificate of recognition.
Doctoral Research Excellence Award Recipient Maria Lukatskaya
Drexel Materials Ph.D. students Babak Anasori (advisor: Michel Barsoum) and Maria Lukatskaya (advisor: Yury Gogotsi) are the recipients of Doctoral Research Excellence Awards. The award is given to students “who have exhibited outstanding research/scholarship/creativity in the past year.” Awardees receive a certificate of recognition and monetary award. Babak and Maria are two of six students receiving this year’s award. Ph.D. students Andrei Akbashev
and Guannan Chen, both advised by Jonathan Spanier, received the “Highly Commended” designation for this award.
Ph.D. student Babak Anasori receives the Drexel Teaching Achievement Award
Babak additionally was bestowed with the newly created Drexel Teaching Achievement Award, created for a Teaching Assistant who has been winning the Teaching Excellence Award for three years or more.
Ph.D. student Gabriel Burks (advisor: Christopher Li) is a recipient of the Graduate Spirit Award.
Student leadership was recognized with the Most Innovative Organization award presented to MAGNET (Materials Graduate Network). Ph.D. students Boris Dyatkin and Katie Van Aken, both advised by Gogotsi, were on hand to receive the plaque.
Drexel’s Graduate Student Day awards were presented at a reception hosted by the Office of Graduate Studies and Graduate Student Association on May 30, 2014.