Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Announces Scholarship Recipients

The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced the recipients of its scholarships.

Dr. Haijun Gong, an assistant professor at Georgia Southern University (Statesboro, GA), has been awarded the Randy Stevens Scholarship. Claire Belson, a chemical engineering student at the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL), has been awarded the Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship. With these recognitions, Belson and Dr. Gong will attend and participate in the AMUG Conference, which will be held in Chicago March 19-23, 2017.

“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,” said Steve Deak, AMUG president. “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.”

Dr. Haijun Gong, Randy Stevens Scholarship recipient. Image courtesy of AMUG.

The AMUG Scholarship Committee selected Dr. Haijun Gong for his extensive experience, current research and transfer of that knowledge to the students that he teaches. Dr. Gong’s attention focuses on additive manufacturing with metallic materials.

“In my opinion, AM is not only a manufacturing method for complex metal parts, but also a metallurgy technique of exploring new alloys,”Dr. Gong said. Currently he is conducting research, in partnership with 3DSIM LLC, on the simulation, optimization, and physical phenomena of laser melting processes. Dr. Gong also contributes to standards development through ASTM’s F42 committee. Additionally, he has completed an NSF proposal to acquire a metal additive manufacturing machine to further research and education at the university.

Claire Belson, Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship recipient. Image courtesy of AMUG.

The AMUG Scholarship Committee selected Claire Belson for her passion, professionalism, skills and willingness to share her knowledge. In her application, Belson wrote: “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 of additive manufacturing engineers.”

Belson is pursuing a dual degree in chemical engineering, and has participated as an undergraduate researcher, a sub-team leader of the university’s EcoCAR team, and a student employee in the College of Engineering’s innovation area known as the Cube.

The Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship, founded by Guy’s wife, Renee Bourdeau, is awarded annually to one college student. The Randy Stevens Scholarship, founded by Randy’s employer, In’Tech Industries, is awarded annually to one educator that emphasizes or focuses on additive manufacturing.

For more information, visit the Additive Manufacturing Users Group.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.