MONMOUTH COLLEGE STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNMENT RESEARCH
PROGRAM
Release
Date: January 10, 2000
OAK RIDGE, Tenn.--Three Monmouth College students were
selected from a field of 2,700 applicants to participate in the Department of Energy’s "Energy
Research Undergraduate Laboratory Fellowships" program during the fall of 1999.
Amy DeBaillie,
a senior from Cordova, Ill., Benjamin Grethey, a senior from Morton, Ill.,
and Nyi Htoon, a senior from Burma, each spent 16 weeks at the Oak Ridge
National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Under the fellowship, they received hands-on
experience in conducting scientific research.
"Our challenge in the 21st century will be to maintain our
technological competitiveness in an increasingly global market," said Martha Krebs, director
of the Department of Energy Office of Science, which sponsors the program. "This type of
laboratory research experience is critical to our nation’s ability to educate the work force
of the future. We take great pride that these students will receive a unique exposure to the
real world of science and technology."
DeBaillie, Grethey and Htoon were assigned to senior
scientific staff members who mentored and challenged them to achieve their full potential in
science. Under the mentors’ direction, they participated on research teams and received their
first exposure to one of the nation’s premier scientific research laboratories.
"I’ve done research at graduate labs at larger universities,
and this experience gave me the opportunity to see how doing research in a government-run
laboratory is different," said DeBaillie, who was assigned to the chemical technology
division. She researched ceramic thin films, which aid in making electronic information flow
faster.
Grethey and Htoon were both involved with the computer
science division. Grethey divided his time into two eight-week blocks, first programming
robots and then researching Internet-accessible robots. Htoon was involved with boundary
integral equations, which have applications in the field of electrical plating and painting.
The students have been challenged to present their research
findings to their peers as well as other scientists, and publication of their research is also
a possibility.
Only 450 students were selected for the summer and fall terms
to participate in the fellowships, which are worth approximately $6,000 apiece. The selected
students form a diverse group of undergraduates representing a variety of ethnic groups,
academic majors, universities and geographical areas.
DeBaillie, a chemistry major, is the daughter of Ken and
Cathy DeBaillie. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry. Grethey, a
computer science major, is the son of David and Sylvia Grethey. Htoon is a mathematics and
computer science major who hopes to enter the workforce in the software industry.
Released
by the Office of College Communications
Barry McNamara, Associate Director of College Communications
Phone: 309-457-2117
Fax: 309-457-2330
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