Zhu Receives Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship

Mechanical Engineering graduate student Shuze Zhu has been awarded the Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship for the 2014-2015 academic year. Zhu's, who is a Ph.D. candidate, is currently researching potential mechanisms to manipulate graphene morphology through strain engineering.

Through the Fellowship Zhu would like to enhance his knowledge about graphene and gain new skills in learning and using a new computational method in studying the electromechanical properties of graphene and its derivative structures.

After the discovery of graphene won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, the material has quickly become a hot-topic in the engineering field. Graphene is an extremely thin, yet incredibly strong form of carbon, and it has been referred to as the "perfect atomic lattice." It conducts electricity as well as copper and heat better than any other known material. Graphene has great potential for the creation of super-strong materials that could be used in airplane and automotive applications in addition to creating more heat resistant and robust electronics.

In response to receiving the fellowship, Zhu said, "The fellowship attests to my academic achievements during my Ph.D. research at UMD and is a strong encouragement for me to launch a successful academic career after graduation. Furthermore, I can get to know other fellowship awardees across our campus; the communication and networking with them can inspire new concepts, perspectives and ideas. This will definitely be an enjoyable and rewarding experience."

The Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship is a companion program to the University of Maryland Flagship Fellowships and the Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowships, designed to provide support to doctoral candidates who are in the final stages of writing their dissertations by freeing them of other work.

Published April 18, 2014