Ursu Receives Undergraduate Research Scholarship

Samuel “Clay” Ursu, a senior metallurgical and materials engineering major and student in the Accelerated Master’s Program, was selected as a 2026 Undergraduate Scholarship Award recipient by the Microscopy Society of America.

For more than 25 years, the scholarship has supported the research and education potential of three to five full-time, undergraduate students who are interested in a career in microscopy.

Ursu will study electric field effects on grain boundary structures and grain growth behavior in aluminum-enriched NiO ceramics. Guided by his advisor, Dr. Klaus van Benthem, Ursu will apply the characterization tools at the Alabama Materials Institute to study materials defects and chemical compositions.

View all recipients of 2026 Microscopy Society of America Scholarship Awards.