2010 Simon Karecki Award Presented to Chi-cheng Chiu

The 2010 Simon Karecki Award was presented to Chi-cheng Chiu by Simon Karecki's parents, Ana and Richard Karecki, at the CEBSM research review.

This is the ninth presentation of the Simon Karecki Award. This Award is given in memory of Dr. Simon Karecki who was a student in this Center and an SRC Fellow. Friends and colleagues of Simon have come together to create the Simon Karecki Fellowship Fund in memory of an outstanding young man and researcher, and as a way to encourage other talented young researchers in the pursuit of environmental research.

Before I present this year's Simon Karecki Award, I would like to recognize the Advisory Board and ask them to join me for this presentation: Walter Worth, SEMATECH; Reed Content, GLOBALFOUNDRIES; Duane Boning, MIT; Farhang Shadman, University of Arizona; and Tim Dalton, IBM, and from SRC Tim Wooldridge and Ginny Wiggins. I would also like to take this opportunity to urge you as individuals to participate in building the Simon Karecki Fund. And we especially need the help of those of you representing companies to strongly encourage corporate donations. Any member of the Advisory Board will be glad to discuss possibilities with you and tell you how to direct your funds. Further information is also available from SRC.

On behalf of the CEBSM, SRC, and the Karecki Advisory Board, it is a great pleasure to present the 2010 Simon Karecki Award to Chi-cheng Chiu.

Chi-cheng is pursuing his PhD in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry at the University of Texas/Dallasunder the direction of Professor Steven Nielsen. His current research focuses on the effect of carbon-based nanomaterials on human health, specifically the role of pulmonary surfactant-promoted displacement of nanoparticles from air into the aqueous subphase in the lung alveoli. This is his own initiative, demonstrating both his concern for environmental health and safety and his ability to conduct independent research. He also plans to work on ESH-related research in the semiconductor packaging area in collaboration with researchers at Texas Instruments.

Chi-cheng has presented his research in four peer-reviewed journal articles—three as first author; three more articles have been submitted for review. He has also presented at a number of national scientific conferences and the world-wide SRC teleseminar on "Predicting, Testing, and Neutralizing Nanoparticle Toxicity."

One of the criteria for receiving the Simon Karecki Award is academic excellence. Chi-cheng completed his undergraduate work with a 3.92 GPA and has maintained a perfect 4.0 throughout his graduate work. In 2008 he received the Julia Williams Van Ness Merit Scholarship from the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at UT Dallas.

Chi-Cheng has a history of working with other people across disciplines and in other areas of interest to accomplish his research goals. He also mentors undergraduate students in the lab at UT/Dallas and worked with high school students during the summers of 2005 and 2008. Chi-Cheng will complete his doctoral studies this spring and plans to continue as a postdoctoral researcher.

Chi-Cheng's passion for research, leadership skills and strong interest in environmental issues make him an ideal recipient of the Simon Karecki Award. It is the decision of the Advisory Board that Chi-Cheng Chiu is eminently well qualified to receive the 2010 Simon Karecki Award. We are very fortunate to once again have Anna and Richard Karecki, Simon's parents, with us today; it is a distinct honor for us to have them here, and we would like to ask them to present the 2010 Simon Karecki Award.