AMUG awards 2025 scholarships to UMD aerospace lecturer and Ohio State engineering student

The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced the recipients of two scholarships. Colleen Murray, Ph.D., a lecturer in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland (UMD), has been awarded the Randy Stevens Scholarship for educators in Additive Manufacturing. Justin Levy, a third-year mechanical engineering student at Ohio State University (OSU), has been awarded the Guy E Bourdeau Scholarship for students in Additive Manufacturing.

As scholarship recipients, Murray and Levy will attend the AMUG Conference to engage with Additive Manufacturing users. They are scheduled to take the main stage to present their work on April 1, 2025. The AMUG Conference will be held in Chicago, Illinois, from March 30-April 3, 2025.

The scholarships recognise students and educators who demonstrate a passion and vision for Additive Manufacturing, while working towards advancing education and industry. Brent Griffith, co-chair of AMUG’s Scholarship Committee and a 2023 scholarship recipient, said, “The fact that selection was difficult for the Scholarship Committee shows that these scholarships are becoming an increasingly sought-after and competitive honour among highly motivated students and instructors in the field of Additive Manufacturing.”

Olga Ivanova, Ph.D., Scholarship Committee co-chair, shared, “We had an outstanding pool of applicants this year. The selection process was particularly difficult, as the top two candidates for the Guy E Bourdeau Scholarship and the top three for the Randy Stevens Scholarship received nearly identical scores from the committee, making the final decision especially challenging.”

The Randy Stevens Scholarship was founded and is financially supported by Randy’s former employer, In’Tech Industries. It is awarded annually to one educator focusing on Additive Manufacturing. The Guy E Bourdeau Scholarship, founded by his wife, Renee Bourdeau, and financially supported by Project MFG – is awarded annually to one college student.

Colleen Murray

Murray received a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from UMD and is a lecturer in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at UMD. She teaches a class on the mechanics of composites and will soon teach a course on advanced manufacturing and automation, which she is developing. Additionally, Murray is assisting in developing an undergraduate programme in mechatronics engineering for the Universities at Shady Grove.

Her research background is in the mechanical characterisation of composites and additively manufactured structures. For her doctoral thesis, Murray focused on the energy absorption properties of additively manufactured honeycombs for crashworthiness applications. She continues the research work on additive structures through her projects and those undergraduates she oversees.

“I hope to bring back valuable insights and encourage my colleagues to attend in the future. I am excited to learn more about Additive Manufacturing and how it will help define our future,” Murray stated. She also hopes to make connections that provide expert guidance on technologies, applications, and future projects.

Justin Levy

Levy conducts research in Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) and process optimisation. He pushes the boundaries of Additive Manufacturing technologies with strong commitments to technology and innovation. Those ambitions led him to OSU, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

As a student researcher in OSU’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME), Levy works to optimise breakaway support strategies for PBF-LB to reduce post-processing time and improve workflow efficiency. This research is intended to provide scalable solutions to manufacturers while minimising production costs. He also worked on a collaborative project between CDME and Pantheon3D to bring the first concrete Additive Manufacturing machine to Ohio by supporting the machine’s installation and developing process procedures.

Levy’s work outside of OSU is significant and varied. He interned at Castheon, Inc., an ADDMAN Group Company, and was a fellow in the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) X-Force programme. In the summer of 2025, he will work with the additive group in the REACT lab at Tinker AFB on strategies to use Additive Manufacturing across the US Air Force.

Youping Gao, Castheon’s founder, chief scientist, & EVP, stated in his letter of recommendation, “Justin’s practical expertise in Additive Manufacturing processes and his unwavering commitment to innovation make him an outstanding candidate for this scholarship.” Gao continued, “Justin consistently demonstrated exceptional initiative and versatility. I am confident that his dedication, technical aptitude, and collaborative spirit will continue to serve him and any organisation he supports well in future endeavours.”

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