The Kuiper Materials Imaging and Characterization Facility awards the Hitachi Scholarship in Electron Microscopy annually to two graduate students generating cutting-edge research and publications in the area of electron microscopy. The scholarship was established by Hitachi High-Technologies as part of their partnership with University of Arizona.

PTYS graduate student Zoë Wilbur is one of the scholarship recipients for 2022/2023. Zoë's research focuses on unraveling the mysteries of lunar volcanism through the chemical analysis of Apollo samples. Additionally, Zoë is interested in the formation and evolution of meteorites, and what they can tell us about volatile elements in our solar system. Zoë is entering her fourth year as a graduate student; she is advised by Assistant Professor Jessica Barnes.

"The Hitachi Electron Microscopy Scholarship will give me the financial freedom to focus on advancing my research this upcoming year, with the goal of publishing a first-author paper about how understudied Apollo 17 samples erupted onto the lunar surface," says Zoë.

Yi Zhang, a sixth-year Ph.D. student in Materials Science & Engineering, is also a recipient of the Hitachi Electron Microscopy Scholarship for the year. Yi studies additively manufactured nickel-based superalloys, a group of alloys used widely in aviation. The research includes characterizing the interactions of microstructures and defects in the alloys and studying how the interactions correlate with fatigue performance. The Hitachi Electron Microscopy Scholarship was a great encouragement for Yi and a great recognition of her work, especially as a woman in STEM whose goal is to be a researcher, a metallurgist and a materials engineer. This award made her more confident in her ability as well as in realizing her goal. The award helped buffer her living expenses especially during this pandemic period and has enabled Yi to spend more time on her research.