Drew Pulsifer, a doctoral student in engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, has been named the winner of a 2011 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) scholarship.
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, awarded $350,000 in scholarships to 137 students involved in optics, photonics or a related field.
Pulsifer's work centers on bioreplication techniques to copy surfaces such as insect eyes and fingerprints.
He is the second doctoral student in engineering science and mechanics to win a 2011 SPIE scholarship. Muhammad Faryad was recently named a SPIE scholarship winner.
Both students are advised by Akhlesh Lakhtakia, the Charles Godfrey Binder Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics.