We are extremely proud of the graduate students who work with our faculty. Most of our graduate students achieve internal and/or external recognition for their accomplishments. Below is a list of recent accolades awarded to our graduate students. Congratulations!

Fellowships

  • Mari-Therese Burton (2021): NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP), National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG)
  • Josh Smeltzer (2021): Koerner Family Fellowship 
  • Diana Hammerstone (2020): NSF Graduate Student Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP) and Lehigh President's Scholarship
  • Kelly Seims (2018): Lehigh President's Scholarship

Societal or Governmental Awards

  • Chris Farnin (2021): Summer Graduate Internship at Carderock Naval Surface Warfare Center (Office of Naval Research, ONR)
  • Rishi Kant (2020): Warren F. Savage Best Paper Award (American Welding Society)
  • Jonah Duch (2020): A.F. Davis Silver Medal Award (American Welding Society)
  • Thomas Siggillino (2019): Italian Technology Award (Italian Trade Agency)
  • Josh Smeltzer (2018 & 2019): 1st Place Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Ceramographic (The American Ceramic Society, ACerS)
  • Robert Hamlin (2019): Warren F. Savage Best Paper Award (American Welding Society)
  • Robert Hamlin (2015): Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Achievement Award (Department of Defense)
  • Erin Barrick (2015): Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Achievement Award (Department of Defense)
  • Austin Wade (2014): Student Support Award (Frontiers of Electron Microscopy for Material Science, FEMMS)
  • Andrew Stockdale (2014): AWS McKay-Helm Award (American Welding Society)
  • Brett Leister (2013): Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Achievement Award (Department of Defense)
  • Austin Wade (2011): Student Support Award (Frontiers of Electron Microscopy for Material Science, FEMMS)
  • Binay Patel (2011): Presidential Student Award (Microscopy Society of America / Microanalysis Society)
  • Mark McLean (2011): Student Support Award (Frontiers of Electron Microscopy for Material Science, FEMMS)

Lehigh University or College Awards

Elizabeth V. Stout Dissertation Award

One Stout Dissertation Award may be awarded in each of the four colleges each year to recognize significant scholarly achievement in a dissertation project. Stout Dissertation Awards are university-level awards, selected by the colleges.

  • Qian He (2013)

Department Awards

Materials Science & Engineering Department Chairs Good Samaritan Award

This award is given to a Materials Science and Engineering Student who goes above and beyond to assist and support the Materials Science & Engineering Department throughout the year.

DEI Champion Award

This award is given to a graduate student who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to and/or prompted DEI within the MSE Department.

George P. Conrad II Outstanding Graduate Student Award

George P. Conard II was a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Lehigh for 33 years and served as the department chair from 1969-1977. Before coming to Lehigh, Professor Conard received his BS from Brown University, MS from Stevens Institute of Technology, and PhD from the Massachusettes Institute of Technology. He was a member of the American Society of Metals, American Association of Metallurgical Engineers, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Sigma Xi, an honor society for science and engineering. In addition, he served as a commander in the Navy reserve during World War II.

Professor Conard was an inspiring teacher and scholar. In 1968, he won Lehigh’s Christian & Mary Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. His research included magnetic materials and physics of metals. The George P. Conard II Outstanding Graduate Student Award will be presented annually to a graduate student in the Materials Science and Engineering Department who has demonstrated particular excellence in research and scholarship. As part of the selection process, applicants will participate in the George P. Conard II Symposium, which highlights the original research of senior graduate students and provides an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students across campus to see the exciting work being done in our department. With approval from their advisor, graduate students approximately one year from completing their PhD should apply.

  • Josh A. Smeltzer (2021)
  • Sean D. McAnany (2020)
  • Gabrielle R. Esposito (2019)
  • Charles T. McLaren (2018)
  • Ling Ju (2018)
  • Anthony P. Ventura (2017) 
  • Christopher J. Marvel (2016)
  • Daniel H. Bechetti, Jr. (2018)
  • Abigail K. Lawrence (2015)
  • Adam R. Stone (2014)
  • Joseph C. Sabol (2013)
  • Lauren N. Bacigalupo (2013)
  • Qian He (2012)
  • Wu Zhou (2010)

Richard Hay Barkalow Outstanding Graduate Student Award

Richard Hay Barkalow earned a PhD in Metallurgical Engineering from Lehigh University in 1971 after earning a MS degree in Metallurgy from Case Institute of Technology and a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Barkalow worked for United Technologies for much of his career and held several patents for anti-corrosion coatings and treatments.

The Richard Hay Barkalow Outstanding Graduate Student Award will be presented annually to a graduate student in the Materials Science and Engineering Department who is within one year of graduation and has demonstrated a combination of outstanding scholarship and service to the Department, College, and/or University.

  • Mike V. Pires (2021)
  • Rishi Kant (2020)
  • Erin J. Barrick (2019) 
  • Michael R. Kracum (2018)
  • Kevin P. Anderson (2018)