Mechanical and nuclear engineering students at VCU are receiving coveted awards from two of the country’s leading nuclear agencies.

Michael Cartwright and Meredith Eaheart, both rising seniors in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, have received $7,500 scholarships from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) Integrated University Program. The DoE gives these awards annually to 45 of the nation’s top undergraduates pursuing nuclear energy-related disciplines. The scholarship also funds internships for each student. Cartwright will intern with Braden Goddard, Ph.D., assistant professor of nuclear engineering. Eaheart will intern with Supathorn Phongikaroon, Ph.D., associate professor of nuclear engineering and director of nuclear engineering programs at VCU.

Doctoral candidate Hunter Andrews has received the American Nuclear Society’s Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Division John D. Randall Scholarship. Andrews’ dissertation research focuses on electrochemical and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) approaches to safeguarding nuclear reprocessing. Phongikaroon is his adviser.