The purpose of this award is to recognize a distinguished doctoral dissertation in the ceramics and glass discipline. The award is generously sponsored by Morgan Advanced Materials and includes the Morgan Medal.
2023 Morgan Medal and Global Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation
Nomination Process
The awardee must have been a member of the Global Graduate Researcher Network (GGRN) and have completed a doctoral dissertation as well as all other graduation requirements set by their institution for a doctoral degree within 12 months prior to the application deadline.
- Nominations should be made by a person very familiar with the student’s work such as the research supervisor. It is expected the student will collaborate in the preparation of the nomination package.
- Nominations must be in English.
- Nominations must include the following:
- CV or bio of 1 page, including significant publications and presentations relevant to the dissertation.
- Abstract of 1,000 to 3,000 words plus no more than 2 pages of figures, including the following 3 sections.
- Statement of the problem.
- Summary of the research and results, including any new techniques developed and collaborations.
- Impact of the research.
- Two letters of recommendation – one from a) and one from either b) or c) below:
a. Letter from the supervisor which confirms that the dissertation and all requirements for graduation have been met, and which summarizes the key points of the nomination.
b. Letter from a member of the dissertation committee which provides an independent opinion on the value of the dissertation.
c. Letter from an external person familiar with the work which summarizes the impact of the work.
- Copies of accepted and published papers directly relevant to the dissertation.
- An on-line link to the dissertation or other means of accessing the dissertation.
The award is presented at the Awards Banquet at the SOCIETY Annual Meeting and consists of a $1000 honorarium, certificate including the Morgan Medal, and complimentary meeting registration at the Annual Meeting where the award is presented.
The award is presented at the Awards Banquet at the SOCIETY Annual Meeting and consists of a $1000 honorarium, certificate including the Morgan Medal, and complimentary meeting registration at the Annual Meeting where the award is presented.
Contact
Erica Zimmerman
ezimmerman@ceramics.org
Award Winners
Eeshani Godbole
Eeshani Godbole is a Research Scientist at GE Research in Niskayuna, NY, where she works on developing high-temperature ceramic materials for aero engines. She earned a Ph.D. in
Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota (UMN), Twin Cities. At UMN, she worked on developing next-generation multiphase thermal and environmental barrier coatings.
She has been invited to present her work at several conferences and published in many peer-reviewed journals. Her contributions to the field have won her the ACerS Graduate Excellence in Materials Science (GEMS) award in 2021 and the Best Poster award at the ECI Thermal and Environmental Barrier Coatings VI conference. As the first graduate student in the Poerschke research group at UMN, Eeshani helped set up a lab. Recognizing the importance of safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments to foster scientific innovation, she took on leadership roles in her research group and department.
Eeshani was the diversity, equity, and inclusion graduate coordinator for the College of Science and Engineering at UMN. She advocated for greater inclusion of women and underrepresented groups in scientific disciplines during her tenure. She actively pursues STEM outreach for K-12 students to make science accessible and engaging for younger audiences. In particular, she volunteered for Science for All, a student-led initiative at UMN to teach science to middle school students through hands-on experiments, and at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Eeshani was also an organizing committee member for IGNITE MSE workshops at ICACC (2023, 2024) and MS&T(2023) to provide positive learning and growth opportunities for graduate students in ceramic materials. Eeshani is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer, and in her free time, loves reading and embroidery.