Graduate Studies

The Austin Hooey Thesis Prize is the highest award given to a graduate student by the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. It recognizes outstanding contributions to scholarship and research towards a PhD degree. The faculty in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering have awarded the Spring 2009 Hooey Prize to Vibha Kalra, Ph.D. candidate working with Professor Yong Joo, "Using External Fields to Control the Location of Nanoparticles in Block Copolymers: Experiments and Simulations," and Joseph Goose, Ph.D. candidate working with Professor Paulette Clancy, "Step-Edge Barriers in organic molecules: The case of Sexiphenyl." Past Hooey Prize winners are listed below.

Keesha Hayes, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, received the 2009 Constance E. Cook and Alice H. Cook Recognition Award for her dedication to female student issues. Hayes helped plan the Empowering Women in Science in Engineering conference held in June 2007, was selected by Diversity Programs in Engineering as a "student of the month" and is currently a co-leader of the Chemical Biomolecular Engineering Graduate Women group.

Ritsdeliz Perez-Rodriguez, MS, PhD candidate with Associate Professor Matt DeLisa, was selected to participate in the BEST Symposium hosted by The Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan, on September 16 and 17, 2008. This two-day event gave participants an opportunity to explore careers in the chemical industry and to showcase their abilities. Ritsdeliz delivered a short presentation of her scientific work and was involved in team activities as well as social events.

Thomas Mansell, MS, PhD candidate with Associate Professor Matt DeLisa, was awarded the Corning Foundation Fellowship for 2009-2010. This fellowship was established by the company to recognize the research progress of a student in the Ph.D. program.  

Olivia Nnadi's (M.Eng., '09) abstract was judged the winner of the 2009 Dow Chemicals (formerly Rohm & Haas)-Rodriguez Outstanding Student Award for her work in Professor Yong Joo's lab this year to electrospin soy-based materials to create novel filters. Two patents will result from their work. This award was established by Rohm & Haas (and now taken over by Dow Chemicals) to honor the memory of Professor Rodriguez and to recognize outstanding undergraduate- or masters- level research in polymers or electronic materials.