Doctoral student Abhijeet Budruk has received an MSA Student Award from the Microscopy Society of America (MSA).

Budruk, who was chosen from more than 175 applicants, will be recognized at the Opening Plenary session of the Microscopy & Microanalysis 2011 Meeting, held in Nashville in August. The winning paper will be presented in platform or poster format. The award includes all registration, travel, and accommodation costs associated with Budruk's trip to Tennessee.

Ph.D. candidate Dooho Choi was awarded two named fellowships.

The first of these is the Alessandro and Piermaria Reggiori Fellowship, presented in recognition of outstanding research. The second is the Bertucci Graduate Fellowship awarded by the College of Engineering to outstanding doctoral students in Carnegie Institute of Technology in recognition of their accomplishments. Dooho's doctoral project addresses W as an alternate interconnect to Cu for sub-30 nm linewidths in semiconductor metallization.

Fang Liu, a doctoral student, has won an Alternate Sponsored Fellowship at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Throughout this fellowship, Liu will work in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory Directorate. This award recognizes academic and professional achievements, enabling students to pursue research, training, and professional development opportunities that will enhance their research and academic pursuits.

Ph.D. student Dhishan Kande has received significant recognition recently.

Kande won an IEEE Magnetics Society Travel Grant to attend the IEEE International Magnetics Conference in Taipei, Taiwan, in April. This award is given to only 26 selected doctoral candidates working in the area of applied magnetism and magnetic materials. Kande was also a finalist for the IEEE Magnetics Society Best Student Paper Award at the conference, where he gave an oral presentation. Kande has also been honored with an invitation to the IEEE Magnetics Society Summer School, held in May in New Orleans. Support is typically provided for approximately 60 students, based on a competitive application process.

Doctoral candidate Satyajet Ojha won a GSA Student Travel Grant from the Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) at Carnegie Mellon, in collaboration with the Graduate Support Programs Office and the Provost's Office.

Each year, the GSA offers approximately 90 financial awards of $500 to help students make presentations or attend conferences or exhibitions in their fields. Ojha used this funding to attend the American Chemical Society Conference in Anaheim in March.

Congratulations to MSE Junior, Robert Tisherman, who is the recipient of a 2011 Goldwater Scholarship!

Robert Tisherman has been named a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar for the 2011–12 academic year. Each year, this prestigious scholarship program recognizes juniors and seniors who have outstanding potential and intend to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.
 
The purpose of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, established by Congress in 1986, is to alleviate a critical current and future shortage of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. Up to 300 awardees are announced every year.
Each scholarship covers eligible expenses for undergraduate tuition, fees, books, and room and board, up to a maximum of $7,500 annually.

Congratulations to MSE Senior, Mariana Sofman, who is the recipient of a 2011 Fulbright Scholarship!

Marianna Sofman, who will receive her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering and Biomedical Engineering this Spring, has received two prestigious awards.
 
After a rigorous application process, she was named a Fulbright Scholar—and will spend 10 months doing research in Germany as part of this award. When she returns to the US in 2012, a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will provide three years of support for graduate school.
 
Sofman will continue her research at the renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology in Leipzig. She will support the development of a rapid, low-cost infection diagnostics system called MinoLab. A mobile platform the size of a credit card, MinoLab contains magnetic particles that lock onto blood cells in a patient sample. By running the cells through an analysis unit with magnetic force, an accurate diagnosis can be made using magnetic sensors.
 
In Fall 2012, Sofman will begin graduate studies in Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her three-year Graduate Research Fellowship from NSF will provide a $30,000 annual stipend, as well as a $10,500 cost-of-education allowance.
 
“I consider myself very fortunate to have won these two awards, which will enable me to continue my studies in immunology and cell mechanics by partnering with some of the world’s leading scientists,” says Sofman. “I’m looking forward to the exciting opportunities this funding has made possible.”