Student Awards

Debora Lyn Porter (Ph.D. 2023) was awarded the 2022-2023 DEMS Graduate Student Researcher of the Year award by the University of Utah Department of Mechanical Engineering.


Josh Fernquist (current Ph.D. student) placed 2nd in the 2022 TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Biological Materials Science Student Poster Competition located in Anaheim, CA, for his poster titled: "Improved structural and mechanical performance of iron oxide scaffolds freeze cast under oscillating magnetic fields."


Ethan Beseris’ (former undergraduate researcher) paper titled “Impact protection potential of mammalian hair: Testing the pugilism hypothesis of human facial hair” was awarded the 2021 Ig Nobel Peace Prize.


Max Mroz's (M.S. 2020) paper titled "Biotemplating of a Highly Porous Cellulose-Silica Composite from Apium graveolens by a Low-Toxicity Sol-Gel Technique" was selected as a JOM Editor's Choice article for June 2021.


Tony Yin (current Ph.D. student) placed 2nd in the 2020 TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Biological Materials Science Student Poster Competition located in San Diego, CA, for his poster titled: “Microsphere calcium phosphate cements to improve injectability and 3D-printability of dental biomaterials.”


Sierra Freitas and Lauren Kochaver (former undergraduate researchers) received the Best Presenter Award at the 2019 ASME IMECE Poster Competition located in Salt Lake City, UT, for their poster titled: "Porous helical and Bouligand scaffolds fabricated by low strength magnetic freeze casting."


Paul Wadsworth (M.S. 2019) won the 2019 TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Biological Materials Science Student Poster Competition located in San Antonio, TX, for his poster titled: “3D printing bioinspired composite materials with ultrasound directed self-assembly.”


Jerry Howard (former undergraduate researcher) placed 3rd in the 2019 TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Biological Materials Science Student Poster Competition located in San Antonio, TX, for his poster titled: "Calcium phosphate microspheres: A novel approach to calcium phosphate cements."


Taylor Ogden (M.S. 2019) won the 2018 TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition Biological Materials Science Student Poster Competition located in Phoenix, AZ, for his poster titled: “Freeze casting of bioinspired porous ring structures through ultrasound directed self-assembly.”