MatSE recognized exceptional students, faculty, staff, and alumni for their academic excellence, service, and leadership during its annual Spring Awards Banquet, held on April 16.
"MatSE is many things beyond an academic department. We are a community that lives our mission to develop leaders in materials science and engineering, generate scientific discoveries, and enable new opportunities that serve 21st century societal needs through educational innovation, groundbreaking research, entrepreneurial pursuits, translational impact, and community outreach," said John Mauro, department head, during the awards ceremony. "It is the people of MatSE, each and every one of you, who make our department what it is. Thank you for all you do for continuing our legacy as a top-ranked materials science and engineering program."
During the awards program, a special presentation was made by the Pittsburgh Section of the American Ceramic Society to Evan Moffett , undergraduate student. Moffett was the recipient of the J. Earl Frazier Memorial Scholarship, which honors the incredible life and career of the late Frazier.
MatSE awards
MatSE Alumnus of the Year Award
This award is given to an outstanding alumnus or alumna for exceptional contributions. This year’s recipient was Joshua Robinson, professor of materials science and engineering with joint appointments in chemistry, physics, and engineering science and mechanics at Penn State. He is also the director of Strategic Research Initiatives in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and leads two major efforts driving semiconductor innovation: the Penn State Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance and the onsemi Silicon Carbide Crystal Center.
An internationally recognized expert in advanced semiconductor and quantum materials, Robinson’s research spans two-dimensional materials, silicon carbide crystal growth, and next-generation electronic and spintronic devices. His work seamlessly connects fundamental scientific discovery with real-world applications, contributing to U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and advanced materials.
Beyond his research, Robinson is a dynamic academic leader who has helped advance interdisciplinary initiatives and build impactful partnerships across academia, industry, and government. His contributions have strengthened Penn State’s research enterprise, expanded opportunities for faculty and students, and positioned the University at the forefront of laboratory safety, critical minerals, and advanced materials manufacturing.
A proud Penn State alumnus, Robinson earned his doctorate degree in materials science and engineering after completing his undergraduate studies in physics at Towson University. His career exemplifies the innovation, excellence, and leadership that define the Penn State alumni community.
Outstanding Safety Award
MatSE is a leader in safety at Penn State due to everyone doing their part. This award recognizes an undergraduate or graduate student who has gone above-and-beyond the high standards set by the department. This year’s recipient was Bahar Baniasadi, graduate student, from the Colby Rheology Group whose leadership and initiative has made a significant impact on strengthening safety culture within and beyond her lab.
As lab safety officer for a large research group of 10–20 undergraduate students, Baniasadi has demonstrated exceptional commitment to ensuring a safe and accountable working environment. She regularly incorporates safety moments into group meetings, encourages shared ownership by having students present on safety topics, and thoughtfully delegates responsibilities so everyone contributes to maintaining lab standards. Baniasadi's efforts include cataloging and maintaining chemical inventories in LionSAFE, coordinating the proper disposal of outdated materials, and ensuring that specialized equipment, such as rheometers, is safely maintained and used. She also dedicated substantial time to helping establish Professor Carlos Lopez’s research lab—further reflecting her proactive and collaborative approach. Through her consistent leadership and attention to detail, she has helped elevate safety practices and awareness across the department.
MatSE Faculty Member of the Year
This award recognizes a faculty member who exemplifies excellence in teaching, research, advising, and outreach, and who has made a meaningful impact on the student experience. Selected through student nominations, this year’s honor goes to Venkatraman Gopalan, distinguished professor of materials science and engineering and of physics.
Students consistently highlight Gopalan's engaging and informative teaching style, particularly in areas such as solid-state physics, optical properties of materials, and crystal anisotropy, fields in which he is also a highly accomplished researcher. Gopalan's ability to connect deep scientific expertise with accessible, impactful instruction enriches the learning experience and inspires curiosity in the classroom.
Beyond his teaching, Gopalan is widely recognized for his mentorship and leadership. Students describe him as a dedicated advisor who goes above and beyond, offering both academic guidance and thoughtful advice on career development. His emphasis on rigor, growth, and perseverance has shaped not only students’ research skills but also their personal and professional development.
Gopalan's commitment to excellence and mentorship has left a lasting impression on the MatSE community.
Staff Excellence Award
This award recognizes staff members who exhibit at least one of the following: excellent job skills, knowledge of departmental goals, ability to motivate others, creative problem-solving skills, takes a leadership role, dependable and efficient, professional demeanor, positive attitude, enthusiastic and dedicated in carrying out duties, cooperative and courteous interaction with others, good supervisory skills. This year’s recipient is Dustin Spicer.
Spicer has distinguished himself as an invaluable member of the MatSE community. Known for his technical expertise, hands-on approach, and eagerness to learn, Spicer consistently goes above and beyond to support research and departmental operations. Whether troubleshooting complex equipment, implementing system improvements, or ensuring experiments run smoothly, his responsiveness and problem-solving skills have made a meaningful impact on the success and productivity of the department.
In addition to his technical contributions, Spicer has demonstrated exceptional leadership in promoting a culture of safety and collaboration. He has taken an active role in safety initiatives, working closely with Environmental Health and Safety and research groups throughout Steidle Building to identify risks and implement best practices. During a period of staff transition, Spicer also helped maintain continuity of operations and supported the onboarding of new team members. His positive attitude, reliability, and dedication to excellence make him a trusted and respected colleague.
Dr. David Green Materials Faculty Service Award
Established to enrich MatSE by recognizing a faculty member who has performed outstanding service work and provide support to faculty to further their contributions in teaching, research, and public service in MatSE. This year’s award recipient was Robert Hickey, associate professor of materials science and engineering.
The award will support Hickey’s collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces, an internationally renowned leader in the study of natural tissue structure and mechanics. Through this partnership, he will pursue collaborative research on polymer material deformation in both natural and synthetic fibers, further strengthening global academic connections and advancing innovation in materials science.
Undergraduate awards
George W. Brindley Award in Nonmetallic Crystal Chemistry
The purpose of this award is to recognize annually the top academic student in MATSE 400: Crystal Chemistry. This year’s recipient was Hala Algallaf.
Michael M. & Mary Jane Coleman Undergraduate Award in Polymer Science and Engineering
The purpose of this award is to recognize annually an undergraduate student enrolled in Materials Science and Engineering for excellence in the Polymers curriculum. This year’s recipient was Irena Potochny.
Robert W. Lindsay Award in Metallurgy
The purpose of this award is to recognize annually an undergraduate student enrolled in the metallurgy curriculum. This year’s recipient was Jacob Packer.
David W. Richerson Service Award in Materials Science and Engineering
The purpose of this award is to honor and recognize outstanding service by an undergraduate student majoring in MatSE. This year’s recipient is Irena Potochny.
Guy and Rae Rindone Award for Academic Excellence in Materials Science and Engineering
The purpose of this award is to recognize the student with the highest-grade point average in materials science and engineering courses who will graduate in the current academic year. This year’s recipient is Jacob Packer.
Undergraduate Poster Competition
Undergraduate students involved in independent research, industry projects, or other scholarly pursuits are encouraged to highlight their hard work by submitting a poster to the annual Undergraduate Poster Competition.
- First place: Matthew Hammell, advised by Dr. Jon-Paul Maria and Dr. Saeed Almishal, “Investigating Structural and Electronic Distortions in High-Entropy Oxide Thin Films.”
- Second place: Kaylin Lamaute, advised by Dr. Jon-Paul Maria and Dr. Saeed Almishal, “Local Minimal Chemical Disorder Dielectric Thin Films for Energy Storage Applications”
- Third place: Kai Schneider, advised by Dr. Allison Beese, “Relating Grain-Level Microstructure to Strain”
Graduate awards
Robert E. Newnham Award for Research Excellence
This award recognizes outstanding graduate students enrolled in the Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in MatSE. This year’s recipients were Arpit Jain, Souk Yoon Kim, Lauren McDonald, Kenneth Peterson, Saugata Sarker, Zhiyang Wang, and Mengyi Wang.
Coppola Graduate Student Award for Student Service and Leadership
This award recognizes a graduate student who exhibits outstanding leadership and service both in and outside of the program that benefits MatSE. This year’s recipient was Nathan Banner.
Howard O. and Jean Beaver Graduate Studies Award
This award gives our graduate students the opportunity to enhance their communication skills and deepen their knowledge of materials science and engineering. This award recognizes our students for outstanding achievement as teaching assistants. This year’s recipients were Sara Daryoush, Amir Farahani, and Molly McDonough.
Drs. Weiming Huang and Zi-Kui Liu Materials Genome Graduate Award
This award recognizes graduate students who have demonstrated excellence and achieved meritorious accomplishments in their field of research. This year’s recipients were Deb Bhattacharya and Aman Nanda.
Graduate Poster Competition
Graduate students pursuing independent research, industry collaborations, or other scholarly projects are invited to showcase their work by submitting a poster to the annual Graduate Poster Competition.
- First place: Souk Yoon Kim, advised by Dr. Nutifafa Y. Doumon, “Suppressing Phase Segregation with Phenanthrenequinone for Durable Organic Solar Cells.”
- Second place: Jackson Adler, advised by Dr. Douglas Wolfe, “Single Event Effect Survivability of Microelectronics.”
- Third place: Corbon Moss, advised by Dr. Douglas Wolfe, “Enhanced Gamma Ray Attenuation of Nanostructured Composite Materials.”
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