The Fall 2015 recipients (and their faculty advisors) are Christine Gebara (Dr. Julian Rimoli), Edwin Goh (Dr. Jerry Seitzman), Jackson Merkl (Dr. Narayanan Komerath), Julian Brew  (Dr. Marcus Holzinger), James Clinton (Dr. Marilyn Smith), Vaibhav Kumar (Dr. Krish Ahuja) and Lubna Zubair (Holzinger).

Singled out for his exemplary accomplishments in the area of space debris detection was Brew, of Stone Mountain, GA, whose PURA scholarship will be paid by the Lockheed Martin Foundation. 

A BS/MS Honors Program student, Brew plans to finish his undergraduate degree this fall and pursue a masters degree without interruption.

His PURA grant,  "Developing Techniques for Space Object Characterization in Space Situational Awareness Applications" will allow him to continue working with Dr. Holzinger on a project that is using magnitometers to detect space debris.

Brew spoke with us from Houston, Texas, where he is currently serving a summer internship at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

"We are looking to detect specific magnetic field data because when it shows up, it signifies that some space debris has been detected," he said.

"As of right now, we're looking to prove this concept, and it shows a lot of promise. If we find it can be used, we think we'll be able to determine different characteristics of space debris, like its orbit."

The President's Undergraduate Research Awards (PURA) offer $1,500 salary awards to undergraduate students conducting research and are being mentored by a faculty member or GTRI scientist. The fund also supports the travel costs of eligible students who have been invited to present at professional conferences. 

In addition to Brew's research, PURA will support the following projects