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The Northwestern Woildcats

Team Awards and Accomplishments

  • Brian Delaney received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Award in 2024. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) aims to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. 
  • Tobias Martin received the 2024 STLE Chicago Academic Scholarship Award.
  • Conor Shanley received the 2023 ME Outstanding MS Thesis Award.
  • Henry Soewardiman received the 2023 STLE Chicago Academic Scholarship Award.
  • The paper led by Arman Khan, with Q. Jane Wang, Juan Esteban Fernandez, Zhe Li and Yuchuan Liu, “Friction at Ring-Liner Interface Analyzed with a Systematic Surface Characterization,” published in Tribology Transactions, won the 2023 STLE Edmond E. Bisson Best-Written Contribution Award.
  • Jannat Ahmed received a 2022 STLE Chicago Student Scholarship Award and 2022 Base Oil & Lubes Connect’s Future Star Award.
  • Jannat Ahmed delivered an invited talk at the November STLE Detroit meeting, 2021.
  • Tom Cohen and Ray McCann, with a contribution from Elisabeth Winslow, published a book, Designing the Future: A Technological Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, ISBN 10:1636481752, ISBN-13:978-1636481753, Eliva, 2021, https://www.amazon.com/dp/1636481752.
  • The paper led by Xin Zhang, with Wang, Q., Harrison, K. L., Roberts, S. A, and Harris, S. J., 2020, “Pressure-Driven Interface Evolution in Solid State Lithium Metal Batteries,” Cell Reports Physical Science, Vol. 1 (2), 100012, was selected as one of the “Best of 2020” papers in Cell Reports Physical Science.
  • Tobias Martin is selected for appointment in the CCDC ARL Research Associateship Program, 2020.
  • Henry Soewardiman is selected for appointment in the CCDC ARL Research Associateship Program, 2020, and the Department graduate proposal Best-Pitch Award, 2020.
  • David Pickens received a 2019 STLE Chicago Student Scholarship Award
  • Arman M. Khan received a 2018 STLE Chicago Student Scholarship Award.
  • David Pickens received an ARL Graduate Fellowship Award, 2018.
  • Blake Johnson received an ARL Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, 2018.
  • Blake Johnson received a BASF SE Internship Award in the 2017 DAAD RISE Professional program.
  • Jie Lu and David Pickens, as well as Michael Desanker (Chemistry, Prof. Marks’ group), received an honorable mention at the 2017 Dow Sustainability Competition.
  • Blake Johnson, Jie Lu, and David Pickens, as well as Michael Desanker (Chemistry, Prof. Marks’ group), Northwestern Woildcats, participated in the 2016 nationwide competition at BASF, the largest chemical company in the world, to design a synthetic base fluid that meets the high performance requirements for tomorrow’s high efficiency vehicles. The team won the 2016 First-Place Award. The team was also co-advised by Professor Y. W. Chung, and their final presentation was coached by Ms. Lauren Cafiero at BASF.
  • Tom Gu won the 2016 STLE Chicago Student Fellowship Award; 2016 STLE Frontier Conference First-Place Student Poster Award.
  • The paper led by Tom Zolper, with Shiller, P., Babak, L., Junkl, M., Marks, T., Chung, Y.W., Greco, A., Doll, G., and Wang, Q., “Correlation of Polysiloxane Molecular Structure to Shear-Thinning Power-Law Exponent using Elastohydrodynamic Film Thickness Measurements,” Journal of Tribology, Vol. 137 / 031503-1, won the 2015 ASME Journal of Tribology Best Paper Award.
  • Andrew Shiao won the 2015 STLE Chicago Student Fellowship Award.
  • Michelle Lee edited a book. Remarkable Natural Material Surfaces and Their Engineering Potential, by ME 346 students, ed. Michelle Lee, class of 2013, ISBN 978-3-319-03125-5, Springer. 2014. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319031248.
  • The paper led by Tiffany Davis and Pinzhi Liu, with Xiong, S., Grzina, D., Cao, J., Wang, Q., Xia, Z., and Talwar, R., 2013, “Surface Texturing of Drill Bits for Adhesion Reduction and Tool Life Enhancement,” Tribology Letters, Vol. 52, PP. 113-122, won the Award for STLE Surface Engineering Best Paper for 2013, received in 2014.
  • The paper led by Dr. Z. Wang, with Drs. X. Jin, L.M. Keer,  and Q. Wang, “A Numerical Approach for Analyzing Three-Dimensional Steady-State Rolling Contact Including Creep Using a Fast Semi-Analytical Method,” Tribology Transactions, 55, pp.446-457, won the 2014 STLE Captain Alfred E. Hunt Best Paper Award.
  • The paper by Drs. Shangwu Xiong and Q. Wang, “Steady-State Hydrodynamic Lubrications Modeled with the Payvar-Salant Mass Conservation Model,” Journal of Tribology, Vol. 134 / 031703-1-16, won the 2013 ASME Journal of Tribology Best Paper Award.
  • The poster lead by two visiting students, Lechun Xie (from Shanghai Jiaotong Univ.) and Qinghua Zhou (from Chongqing Univ.), received a 3rd-Place Student Poster Award at the 2013 Annual Meeting of Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE). The title of the poster is “Effect of Reinforcements on the Rolling Contact Fatigue Life of (TiB+TiC)/Ti-6Al-4V via a Fast Approximate Numerical Method.”
  • Zhe Li and Hualong Yu’s poster won a Second-Place Student Poster Award at the 2012 STLE Annual Meeting.  The title of the poster is “Indentation Creep Behavior of PDMS Quantified with a Semi-Empirical Adhesive Viscoelastic Contact Model.”
  • Tom Zolper received a 2011-2012 Terminal-Year Cabell Fellowship Award, the 2010 STLE Chicago Graduate Fellowship Award.
  • Jesse Lee received an Award for Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals, 2012.
  • Christie Twist won a Terminal-Year Cabell Fellowship, 2012; a Fulbright Fellowship Award to go to the Politecnico di Torino in Italy for the 2011-2012 school year, an NSF Graduate Fellowship Award, a new student Cabell Fellowship. She also received the Second-Place Student Poster Award at the 2008 International Joint Tribology Conference in Miami, FL.
  • Greco, A., Martini, A., Liu, Y., Lin, C., and Wang, Q., 2010, “Rolling Contact Fatigue Performance of Vibro-Mechanical Textured Surfaces,” Tribology Transactions, Vol. 53, pp. 610-620. This paper won the STLE Surface Engineering Technical Committee 2010 Best Paper Award, announced 2011.
  • Chengjiao (Even) Yu, Outstanding Volunteer at the 64th STLE Annual Meeting, 2009.
  • Ning Ren received a 2008-09 Terminal-Year Cabell Fellowship Award.
  • Wayne W. Chen received a 2007-08 Terminal-Year Cabell Fellowship Award.
  • Ashlie Martini won the Best Student Poster Award for “Subsurface Stress in Elastic-Plastic Contact with Real Rough, Sinusoidal, and Textured Surfaces” at the 2006 STLE/ASME International Joint Tribology Conference in October. She also won the 2005 STLE Chicago Graduate Fellowship Award and a 2006-07 Terminal-Year Cabell Fellowship Award.
  • Aaron Greco received a 2009-10 Terminal-Year Holger E. Pederson Fellowship Award, a 2009 National Academies Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Award, one of the 10 Best Poster Awards from the 2009 NSF IGERT Conference.
  • Aaron Greco received a 2009 STLE Chicago Graduate Fellowship Award.
  • Aaron Greco, together with Tiffany Davis of the Manufacturing Group, won the First-Place Award at the 2007 University Applied Research Day Poster Competition. He also won the First Place Applied Research Award for the most effectively translating scientific research into entrepreneurial business opportunity, presented by InNUvation, an innovation and entrepreneurship forum at Northwestern University, 2007.
  • Aaron Greco and the team won a First-Place Student Poster Award at the 2007 STLE Annual Meeting.  The title of the poster presentation is “Developing Textured Surfaces for Lubricated Conformal Contact.” He also led a team winning a 3nd-Place Student Poster Award at the 2007 Joint International Tribology Conference.  The title of the poster presentation is “Influence of Surface Texturing on Rolling Contact Fatigue Life.”
  • Bo He received the 2006 STLE Chicago Graduate Fellowship Award. He also received a 2006-07 Terminal-Year Cabell Fellowship Award.
  • Matthew Siniawski received the 2002 STLE Chicago Fellowship Award.