COLUMBUS, OH—2012 winner Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) will receive an ASNT Fellowship Award for proposed research titled “Load-enhanced Methods for Lamb Wave in situ NDE of Complex Components.” The project advisor is Jennifer E. Michaels, and the graduate student is Xin Chen.

Michaels is a professor and interim associate chair of undergraduate affairs in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech, as well as co-director of the Quantitative Ultrasonic Evaluation, Sensing and Testing Laboratory. She received a B.E.E. from Georgia Tech in 1976 and an M.S. and Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mechanics from Cornell University, in 1982 and 1984, respectively. She worked as an engineer with the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory in Richland, Washington, from 1977 to 1980, where she led several projects relating to automated nondestructive testing (NDT). She was co-founder and vice president of JTM Systems and Consulting, Inc., Ithaca, New York, from 1980 to 1988, working primarily on the development, fabrication and commissioning of custom automated ultrasonic inspection systems. She continued this work as manager of systems development at Panametrics, Inc., in Waltham, Massachusetts, from 1988 to 2002, when she joined the faculty of Georgia Tech as an associate professor. Michaels is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a member of the Acoustical Society of America. She is associate editor of Ultrasonics, the IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, and the International Journal of Structural Health Monitoring. Her research interests include signal processing, imaging, wave propagation, detection and estimation, data fusion, and automated measurement systems, primarily relating to ultrasonic NDT and structural health monitoring. Current and past supporters of her research include the Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation and industry.

2012 winner Iowa State University (ISU) will receive an ASNT Fellowship Award for proposed research titled “Dielectrometry Sensors for NDE of Glass-fiber Polymer-matrix Composites.” The project advisor is Nicola Bowler and the graduate student is Robert Sheldon.

Bowler is a professor in the department of materials science and engineering, as well as being involved with the department of electrical and computer engineering, at ISU. Bowler earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Surrey in 1994 and a B.S. in physics from the University of Nottingham in 1990. Prior to her becoming a professor, Bowler was an associate scientist at ISU’s Center for Nondestructive Evaluation. She was also a postdoctoral research associate at ISU, the University of Surrey and the University of Reading. Outside of academia, Bowler worked as a senior scientist in the magnetics division at the Defense Evaluation Research Agency in the U.K. Bowler is the recipient of the 2008 Faculty Grant Award, 2012 Akinc Excellence in Research Award, 2011 Akinc Excellence in Teaching Award, 2006 U.S. Department of Energy Outstanding Mentor Award and 2005 Measurement Science and Technology Outstanding Paper Award in the sensors and sensing systems category. She has been listed in Cambridge Who’s Who since 2011, International Who’s Who of Professional and Business Women since 2009, Who’s Who of American Women since 2009 and Who’s Who in America since 2008. Bowler is the author or co-author of many books, chapters, papers and patents. Her article, “Topical Review: Four-point Potential Drop Measurements for Materials Characterization,” was featured on the cover of Measurement Science and Technology in January 2011. Bowler is a permanent secretary of the World Federation of NDE Centers, an international advisor for the U.K. Dielectrics Group of the Institute of Physics and an international standing committee member in the annual workshop on Electromagnetic Nondestructive Evaluation. Bowler has lectured at many conferences and received many grants and contracts. In addition, she has sat on various thesis committees and been an advisor to both graduate and undergraduate students. She has been the director of certificate studies for the Graduate Certificate in Nondestructive Evaluation, and a coordinator of Undergraduate Minor in Nondestructive Evaluation since 2011. Since 2011, Bowler has also served as a technical editor for Springer’s Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation, as well as an associate editor for the Institute of Physics’ Measurement Science and Technology. She is also one of two senior associate editors for IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation.

2012 winner University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will receive an ASNT Fellowship Award for proposed research titled “Nondestructive In-place Condition Assessment of Concrete Rail Ties Using Air-coupled Ultrasonic.” The project advisor is John S. Popovics and the graduate student is Suyun Ham.

Popovics is an associate professor at UIUC. Prior to that, he worked as an assistant professor at Drexel University, and as an assistant research professor at Northwestern University. Popovics graduated with a Ph.D. in engineering science and mechanics from Pennsylvania State University in 1994. He earned an M.S. and a B.S. in civil engineering from Drexel University. In addition to ASNT, Popovics is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, ASA and AAM. He is currently chair of the Technical & Board Committee for the American Concrete Institute.

2012 winner University of Texas at Austin (UTA) will receive an ASNT Fellowship Award for proposed research titled “Analysis and Development of a Focused Spark Source for Air-coupled Ultrasonic NDT.” The project advisors are Jinying Zhu and Michael Haberman and the graduate student is Yi-Te Tsai.

Zhu is an assistant professor at UTA. Prior to that, she worked as an engineer for CTL Group, and as a research assistant at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and Drexel University. Zhu graduated with excellent marks and earned a B.E. in civil engineering from Zhejiang University, followed by a Ph.D. in civil engineering from UIUC. Zhu is a committee member of the American Concrete Institute (ACI). In 2003, Zhu received the ACI James Instrument Award for research in nondestructive testing of concrete. In 2011 and 2012, two graduate students under Zhu’s supervision at UTA earned the same award.

Michael Haberman works as a research associate in the Applied Research Labs at UTA. He also lectures in the department of mechanical engineering. Prior to that, Haberman was a postdoctoral Fellow at UTA. Haberman earned a B.S.M.E., graduating magna cum laude from the University of Idaho. He went on to receive an M.S.M.E. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as a doctorate in solid mechanics from Université Paul Verlaine, in France. He is an associate member of the Acoustical Society of America, a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a junior member of the Association Française de Mécanique.

2012 winner West Virginia University (WVU) will receive an ASNT Fellowship Award for proposed research titled “In Vivo Nanosensors for Defect Identification using Flexible, Optically Transparent, Deformation Responsive Wrinkled Single-walled Carbon Nanotube Meshes.” The project advisor is Daneesh Simien and the graduate student is Sai Gunturu.

Simien is an associate professor in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at WVU. Prior to that, Simien worked as a postdoctoral researcher for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She earned a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Rice University. Simien is a member of the American Society of Materials Science and Engineering, where she served as student chapter president from 2003–2005. She is also a member of the Materials Research Society and National Society of Black Engineers.