Generous engineering scholarship encourages undergraduates in materials science

In 2023, Virginia Tech ranked well above the national average in alumni giving participation at 22 percent. However, Hokies aren’t the only ones making a significant impact on students through philanthropy.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering recently received a generous gift of $50,000 from the Henryk and Bharti Temkin Foundation. This donation aims to attract top-tier students to the department by providing eight undergraduate scholarships for materials science and engineering students with academic success and financial need. 

“I hope that the undergraduate students who receive these scholarships can work in a state-of-the-art research lab under the mentorship of graduate students,” Bharti Temkin said. “The benefit to undergraduates would be the exposure to real-world research and development efforts, such as the process of creating new materials, and the design and development of devices that advance other fields and technologies used in our daily lives. For graduate students, this is an opportunity to develop leadership, team building, and teaching skills necessary for their success as future professionals.”

To attract the best students to the department, Temkin’s scholarship will be awarded to eight students who:

• Are currently enrolled in, or have recently completed, the introductory materials science and engineering course, MSE 2034
• Show curiosity and deep interest in semiconductor optoelectronic device research at higher levels of education, along with resilient abilities through academic success
• Have financial need
• Show passion for mathematics, engineering, and sciences such as physics and chemistry
  

Suneel Kodambaka, head of the materials science and engineering department, felt extremely fortunate upon receiving the donation from a private, single individual who had no direct affiliation with Virginia Tech. 

“Bharti’s passion for materials science and research aligns with our department's goal to educate talented material scientists and engineers,” said Kodambaka. “Through this donation, in addition to our alumni's continued support, the department can now offer at least 15 scholarships — nearly double the number as before — to students joining the department.”

Those who meet the requirements above should fill out the College of Engineering upperclass scholarship application by March 1, 2025, for the 2025-26 academic year.

Inspiration to give back

Temkin’s connection to Virginia Tech has primarily been through her K-12 students, many of whom have graduated and become successful Hokies. As a lifelong educator based in Arlington, Virginia, Temkin has taught students at all levels, from elementary school to post-doctoral studies. She has followed her students’ journeys from their early years in kindergarten through their high school graduation.

One such student is Caroline Emanuel '23, a materials science and engineering master’s degree student at Virginia Tech who had Temkin as one of her elementary school teachers. Emanuel invited Temkin to her graduation party, where she celebrated her acceptance to Virginia Tech to study engineering.

Temkin set the stage for Emanuel to pursue a STEM career from an early age by giving her the foundational math skills needed for advanced math courses later on. Emanuel’s decision to major in materials science and engineering was influenced by the opportunity to take classes and possibly conduct research with professors involved in fields ranging from biomaterials to electronic materials. 

During Emanuel’s senior design project, her team was able to get hands-on experience in new labs within the renovated Holden Hall. She was the team lead on a project that researched the impact of polymeric encapsulants on the thermomechanical reliability of double-side cooled power modules for which Professor Guo-Quan Lu and Graduate Research Assistant Filip Boshkovski served as advisors. 

As the recipient of a scholarship in her first year at Virginia Tech, Emanuel understands the importance of Temkin’s gift. Being awarded the Bill and Connie Scruggs engineering scholarship was not only an honor to Emanuel, but also helped offset the cost of a new laptop to use for her undergraduate career.

“The materials science and engineering department offers students the unique opportunity to work in brand new labs and be exposed to equipment commonly used in industry,” said Emanuel. “Dr. Temkin’s generosity is important to ensure that future students can pursue a degree in materials science at Virginia Tech without bearing the full financial burden of attending college.”

Scholarships such as Temkin’s create experiential learning opportunities that are crucial components of Virginia Tech Advantage, a multiyear commitment to offering a broad educational experience to undergraduate students from Virginia with financial need.

Raising awareness of the field’s importance 

This $50,000 gift was made in honor of Temkin’s late husband, Henryk, an IEEE fellow recognized for his contributions to the development of quantum-well lasers for fiber optics communications and his work in nitride semiconductor device development. Having observed her husband’s career, Temkin understands the time and effort materials scientists invest in applying for research grants. She also recognizes the critical role materials science plays in our economy as well as the widespread opportunities that materials science and engineering offer to other fields.

“I cannot emphasize enough that the hardware produced by material scientists is absolutely essential, making material science one of the most important foundational pieces that makes all other current and future advancements possible,” Temkin said. “You can see it in everyday applications like the touch screen on your cell phone to packaging materials. Even the current artificial intelligence advancements in software development would be of no use if the hardware was not available.”

Material scientists develop the materials within the hardware, such as microelectronic chips and optoelectronic devices found in computers and the state-of-the-art instruments used in communications technologies, medicine, genetics, pharmaceuticals, architecture, agriculture, astronomy, etc.

Temkin hopes her scholarship can alleviate some of the funding stress for academics in the discipline and provide students with research opportunities. By offering more experiential learning, students will be able to find their own niche within materials science and engineering such as biomaterials and semiconductors by being more aware of the range of skills they can acquire in the field.

“With this scholarship, I aim to raise awareness of the importance of materials science and alleviate the time spent trying to obtain funding so the engineers can focus on research,” said Temkin. “It requires everybody’s support, not just mine.” 

She added, “By creating advanced materials, chips, and devices, these engineers create advancements in humanity that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. Without the right hardware there won’t be as much progress in our material world, which is why I hope to continue giving to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the future.”