Justin Andrew Waugh
BLACKSBURG, Va., April 15, 2010 – Virginia Tech has named Justin Andrew Waugh, of Virginia Beach, Va., as the Outstanding Graduating Senior in the College of Science for the 2009-10 academic year.
Waugh, a double major in electrical engineering and physics will receive a Bachelor's of Science degree in electrical engineering from the College of Engineering, and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in physics from the College of Science, in May 2010.
To highlight his academic achievements, Waugh has completed 195 credit hours in less than three years, double majoring while achieving an overall grade point average of 3.93 (on a 4.0 scale), as well as completing two semesters with over 30 credits each.
In 2008, Waugh received the Robert Coleman Richardson Scholarship, and the Daniel C. and Delia F. Grant Endowed Scholarship in 2009. Additionally, Waugh was inducted in to Sigma Pi Sigma, the Physics Honor Society; and to Eta Kappa Nu, the International Honor Society for Electrical Engineers.
During the winter of 2008-09, Waugh travelled to Hokkaido University in Japan to take part in a research internship with Professor Takaaki Koga, where they studied theoretical investigations of electronic properties of InAs nanostructures, specifically with interest in Rashba spin terms and the resulting spin effects. Waugh's "contribution to Koga's research will be reflected in an internationally peer reviewed conference proceeding, in press in Physics Procedia," according to Giti Khodaparast, associate professor of physics.
Waugh has also been involved with undergraduate research at Virginia Tech where he has been studying the numerical simulation of reaction-diffusion systems to study aging phenomena in these systems through the investigation of response and correlation functions with physics professor Michel Pleimling. In addition, he has served as a teaching assistant in 2009 in the undergraduate physics lab and has contributed his time to the university through the Virginia Tech Physics Outreach Program.
Waugh is the son of Jeff and Lori Waugh of Virginia Beach, Va.
The Outstanding Senior Awards are presented at the Student Honors Day Banquet each spring. These awards are co-sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the senior class.
The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding student performance in each college of the university. Students are selected on the basis of their grade point average (3.4 or higher on a 4.0 scale) and outstanding performance in several or all of the following areas: academic achievement, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and contributions of service to the university and/or community.
The College of Engineering at Virginia Tech is internationally recognized for its excellence in 14 engineering disciplines and computer science. The college's 5,700 undergraduates benefit from an innovative curriculum that provides a "hands-on, minds-on" approach to engineering education, complementing classroom instruction with two unique design-and-build facilities and a strong Cooperative Education Program. With more than 50 research centers and numerous laboratories, the college offers its 1,800 graduate students opportunities in advanced fields of study such as biomedical engineering, state-of-the-art microelectronics, and nanotechnology. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.
The College of Science at Virginia Tech gives students a comprehensive foundation in the scientific method. Outstanding faculty members teach courses and conduct research in biology, chemistry, economics, geosciences, mathematics, physics, psychology, and statistics. The college is dedicated to fostering a research intensive environment and offers programs in nano-scale and biological sciences, information theory and science, and supports research centers—in areas such as biomedical and public health sciences, and critical technology and applied science—that encompass other colleges at the university. The College of Science also houses programs in pre-medicine and scientific law. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.
Written by Morgan Zavertnik. Zavertnik of Akron, Ohio, is a sophomore double majoring in communication and Spanish in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.