AMUG Announces the Recipients of 2017 Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship and Randy Stevens Scholarship

The last time we wrote about an Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) win, we were talking about a 3D printed 3/4 scale replica of Van Gogh’s Starry Night taking first place at the 2016 AMUG Conference. Today, AMUG announced a different kind of winner: the 2017 recipients of their student and teacher scholarships. The Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship was established in 2014 by Bourdeau’s wife, and is awarded annually to one college student for professional development and additive manufacturing education. The Randy Stevens Scholarship was also established in 2014, by Stevens’ employer, In’Tech Industries, and is awarded annually to one high school teacher or university professor that emphasizes and focuses on additive manufacturing.

Both scholarships cover the cost of the AMUG Conference registration fee, travel, and lodging, so the recipients can attend and continue focusing on their professional development and develop industry contacts. The two scholarships are non-transferable, and each scholarship submission had to include a 500-word essay, a letter of recommendation, and the completed and signed scholarship submission form.

The recipient of the Bourdeau Scholarship is Claire Belson, a chemical engineering student at the University of Alabama, which is no stranger to the world of 3D printing. Belson is pursuing a dual degree: both a B.S. and an M.S. in chemical engineering. She is a student employee in the College of Engineering‘s innovation area (the Cube), has participated as an undergraduate researcher, and was a sub-team leader of the university’s EcoCAR team. The team was chosen to participate in the engineering competition that challenged students to develop a car that emits less pollution and uses less energy, without sacrificing on consumer appeal, performance, and safety.

This will not be Belson’s first time attending the AMUG Conference: she went last year as a co-op with Emerson. She will return to Emerson for a second internship this summer. She was selected for the Bourdeau Scholarship due to her “passion, professionalism, skills and willingness to share her knowledge.”

Belson said, “Attending AMUG 2017 would be an awesome opportunity for me because I would be able to pass on all the knowledge that I would gain to my university, my future employers and to the next generation additive manufacturing engineers. (Last year’s) AMUG Conference helped me to evaluate companies and equipment in order to make wise recommendations to senior management regarding potential purchases and what would be best for their needs.”

Dr. Haijun Gong, an assistant professor at Georgia Southern University, has been awarded the Stevens Scholarship. He believes that additive manufacturing is both a manufacturing method for complex metal parts, and a unique metallurgy technique of exploring new alloys. Dr. Gong is currently in a research partnership with 3DSIM, whose work with cutting-edge metal 3D printing we’ve written about before. Dr. Gong’s research consists of exploring the optimization, simulation, and physical phenomena of the processes of laser melting. He also completed an NSF proposal to acquire a metal 3D printer for the university, to continue with further research and education. Dr. Gong’s colleagues believe that he was the right choice for the AMUG Stevens scholarship.

Dr. Haijun Gong, Randy Stevens Scholarship recipient [Image: Laura Chramer, University of Alabama Career Center]

Dr. Daniel Cox, professor and founding chair of the Department of Manufacturing Engineering at Georgia Southern University, said, “Dr. Gong is well-versed in the area of additive manufacturing and has the skills to apply that experience to research and education at the intersection of unique materials and AM processes. (He) is also a great teacher and has shown excellent mentoring and teaching skills. He has what it takes to succeed in the three areas of faculty scholarship: research, teaching and service. Dr. Gong is well prepared to lead a successful research programme in AM as he knows how to conceive and prepare research proposals and he has successfully turned his research into numerous publications.”

The AMUG Scholarship Committee chose Dr. Gong for his current research, extensive experience with additive manufacturing, and the transfer of this valuable knowledge to his students.

The AMUG Conference will be held in Chicago, from March 19-23. Some of the events will include:

• Technical sessions
• Keynote presentations
• Vendor break-out sessions
• Technical Competition
• Workshops/hands-on training
• AMUGexpo
• Networking lunches

Steve Deak, AMUG President, said, “We are very excited to have Dr. Gong and Ms. Belson attend the 2017 conference as scholarship recipients, selected from a strong field of candidates. These individuals are extremely dynamic in their pursuit of additive manufacturing applications and represent the future of our industry. AMUG members will certainly benefit from learning about their vision for AM, while both scholarship recipients will gain industry-specific application perspectives from conference participants.”

Registration for both sponsors and exhibitors are sold out, but you can register as a conference attendee. If you register before this Friday, you can still get the early bird rate of $795. Discuss in the AMUG forum at 3DPB.com.

[Source: TCT Magazine]