Purpose

The Graduate Student Award honors and encourages outstanding graduate students engaged in SVC-related fields of study. The SVC seeks to recognize students of exceptional ability who show promise for significant contribution and future achievements in these areas.

Eligibility

Nominees must be a science or engineering graduate student in good standing at a College/University with a recognized graduate degree program and the presenting author of an oral presentation at an SVC TechCon.  Nominees who receive their final research degree after the SVC Abstract Submission deadline are still eligible for that year.   Graduate students applying for an SVC Travel Support Scholarship are automatically considered. Previous Graduate Student Award winners are ineligible.  

Application Format

The materials submitted for the SVC Student Sponsorship Program are also used to evaluate candidates for the SVC Graduate Student Award.  These include:

• Letter of recommendation from the sponsor that confirms the student is a full-time registered student in a university
• One-page description of the student’s project
• Abstract of  200-words submitted via the electronic abstract submission page for the upcoming TechCon
• Completed SVC Student Sponsorship Acknowledgement

Selection Process

All SVC Student Sponsorship Program applicants are evaluated by the Awards Committee for the SVC Graduate Student Award.  Three finalists for this award are selected based on review of submitted applications.  Travel support may be awarded to more than the three students eligible for the SVC Graduate Student Award.

At least 3 SVC Awards Committee members will be present to evaluate the finalists’ SVC TechCon presentations, and will conduct a separate interview with the students to discuss their work.  The Committee will award Gold, Silver, and Bronze SVC Graduate Student Awards based on applications, presentations, and interviews.  Award Certificates are presented at the SVC Farewell Reception, including monetary prizes (Gold $500, Silver $250, and Bronze $150).

2024 SVC Graduate Award Winners

Josja Van Bever  (Gold Prize: $500 USD) Ghent University, (East Flanders, Belgium) "Understanding Convergence and Steady-State Conditions During Feedback Control in Reactive Magnetron Sputtering"
Adrian Claver  (Silver Prize: $250 USD) Public University of Navarra, (Navarra, Spain) "Multilayer Ti/TiN Structures Deposited via HiPIMS on ZK60 Mg Alloy to Control Its Degradation Rate"
Takeru Omiya (Bronze Prize: $150 USD) University of Coimbra, (Coimbra, Portugal) "Unlocking the Potential: Synergistic Tribological Performance of Gadolinium-Doped DLC Coatings with Phosphorus-Containing Ionic Liquids"