Hetal has worked as an undergraduate researcher in our laboratory since her freshmen year. She has studied mechanical behaviors of various metals and intermetallic compounds using nanoindentation. She finally receives UConn University Scholar Award for her proposal entitled “Cryogenic Dislocation Nucleation Study on Body-Centered Cubic Metals by Using Spherical Nanoindentation.” This is a great honor for her as well as our MSE department! I believe there has been no University Scholar in our department before (Only 30 students are selected each year in the entire UConn undergraduate students). We are very proud of your great achievement! Hetal will work in our laboratory for three semesters as University Scholar! The list of 2018 UScholar is available here.
The University Scholar Program is one of the most prestigious programs for undergraduates at the University of Connecticut. Available to students from all of the University’s schools and colleges, the University Scholar Program allows students to design and pursue an in-depth research or creative project and to craft an individualized plan of study that supports their intellectual interests during their final three semesters. Each student is mentored by an advisory committee of three faculty.
No more than 30 University Scholars are selected each year. Admission is based on an application submitted during the first semester of a student’s junior year. Applications are reviewed by an interdisciplinary faculty committee that looks for innovative projects and academically rigorous course selection. Graduation as a University Scholar recognizes a student’s exceptional engagement in research and/or creative endeavors.
University Scholars have created toys to help autistic children learn, produced advances in stem cell research, invented processes for running campus buses on cooking oil, written travel and mystery novels, and much more.