MSE Graduate Student Receives Tau Beta Pi Fellowship

Materials science and engineering (MSE) student, Brian Wang, is the recipient of a prestigious $10,000 Tau Beta Pi Fellowship to support the remainder of his graduate studies. 

By providing generous financial support to engineering students through its fellowship program, Tau Beta Pi, the world's largest engineering honor society, has long advanced engineering education. 

Wang, who graduated summa cum laude with a BS degree in MSE in 2025 and expects to receive his MS degree in 2027, views his Tau Beta Pi Fellowship as a tremendous honor. "Tau Beta Pi recognizes both academic achievement and character, so being selected is especially meaningful to me," he says. "I am deeply grateful for this support and am excited to continue growing as an engineer so I can give back to Tau Beta Pi and the broader community."

Ashutosh Goel, a professor in the the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, notes that Wang "exemplifies the very qualities that the Tau Beta Pi Fellowship seeks to recognize. I've had the privilege of witnessing his exceptional work ethic, intellectual curiosity, and unwavering dedication firsthand."

Goel adds that, "Brian consistently approaches complex problems with both rigor and creativity, demonstrating not only a deep understanding of his field, but also the initiative to push beyond conventional boundaries. I strongly believe that Brian is richly deserving of this prestigious fellowship, and have no doubt he will continue to make meaningful contributions to the field."

While chemistry initially sparked Wang's interest in how materials behave, he says that what drew him most to MSE "is that it works behind-the-scenes of nearly every major technology we rely on—from smartphones and semiconductors to aircraft, infrastructure, and medical devices. I was excited by the idea of helping to create materials that will make future innovations possible."

Today, he especially appreciates how MSE research is about making unexpected discoveries. "Each result opens the door to new questions and improvements," he states. He has, through a Rutgers TechAdvance-supported prject, helped to develop a glass composition that is as much as 16.5% harder than Pyrex® and more than eight times resistant to crack initiation, while still being suitable for large-scale production. 

Wang reports that under the guidance of Goel, his current research focuses on developing glass systems with improved strength, durability, and manufacturability, that have applications for everything from consumer electronics to structural glass. 

"For my MS thesis," he says, "I'm also studying protective coatings for ultra-high temperature ceramics to improve their resistance to oxidation and degradation in hypersonic environments to enable more durable and reusable systems."

After earning his MS degree, Wang 

hopes to work in aerospace or defense industries, developing materials for extreme environments, although he has not ruled out the possibility of working towards a PhD at a later date.