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Campus.News for the Week of August 8, 2005 *
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* Rensselaer Ph.D. Student Awarded MRS Gold Medal

Raghuveer Makala, a Ph.D. candidate in materials science and engineering at Rensselaer, received the Materials Research Society (MRS) Graduate Student Gold Medal at the Spring 2005 MRS Meeting in San Francisco. Competition judges selected Makala as one of 12 students to be awarded the "gold medal" designation based on an oral presentation of his paper, "Site-Selective Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes." He had previously qualified for a medal as one of 32 finalists from the 160 graduate students who applied.

Raghuveer Makala
The MRS Gold Medal is one of the most prestigious and competitive awards available for graduate students in materials research. The awards are intended to honor and encourage graduate students whose academic achievements and current materials research displays a high level of excellence and distinction.

Makala said he entered the competition at the encouragement of his thesis adviser, G. Ramanath, associate professor of materials science and engineering, who also received the MRS Gold Medal during his graduate study nine years ago.

"I am delighted, and not at all surprised, that Raghu has won the most keenly contested award that recognizes research excellence for graduate students in materials science," said Ramanath. "This coveted award is a significant achievement for Raghu and will motivate the development of his extraordinary talents to become a leader in the field of materials science. Additionally, I think this recognition showcases the high standards of research and excellence at Rensselaer in the fields of materials science and engineering and nanotechnology."

"I was pleasantly surprised to receive this award because the MRS conference was the first oral presentation I had ever done as a graduate student," said Makala. "I had also completed my candidacy exam the day before, so I was happy to hear I had done well."

Makala plans to complete his Ph.D. in December. His research involves using focused ion beam irradiation to control the chemistry and composition of carbon nanotubes into highly functional, assembled structures. Makala is the author or co-author of six reviewed journal articles. He has submitted three additional publications this year, and has two others in preparation. Makala is a student member of MRS, ASM International (Materials Information Society), and The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society (TMS).

For more information about MRS graduate student awards, go to http://www.mrs.org/awards/gradstud.html.		 * *
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