Endorsements

University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida, USA (August 1988 - December 1990)

"It is a pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Mr. Dé for membership in Tau Beta Pi. In my opinion, Mr. Dé is very deserving of this honor. He has a superbly balanced education in liberal arts, science and engineering and his presence in my group has been rewarding for my students and for me. He has performed well in the classroom, and in his research he has excelled. Last January, he presented an award winning student paper on his work at one of our professional engineering meetings.

There are some qualities that cannot be measured in the classroom or in the laboratory. Andy is one of those rare individuals who is always willing to go the "extra" mile to help his classmates and his professor. Above all, Andy is loyal, honest and caring."

Andy's Thesis Advisor - Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia, and former Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL .

"I was a co-advisor to Andy Dé on his master's research from 1989 to 1990, while he pursued his Master of Science (M.S) Degree in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida. It is with great pleasure that I recommend Mr. Dé for membership in the Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society. Mr. Dé is a very intelligent, enthusiastic and self-motivated young man who has done some outstanding research at the University of Florida on new and exciting processing techniques for the production of high strength engineering ceramics.

His exceptional academic background and performance earned him a scholarship with full tuition waver from the State of Florida, as well as a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to support his entire graduate research. The scholarship and tuition waiver cumulatively amounted to over US $ 46,000 over 1989 and 1990.

His research effort culminating in his master's thesis and four publications, was outstanding in quality and was very significant for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiative at the University of Florida and the hi-tech ceramics manufacturing industry in North-America. His work has been extensively cited in a number of publications in the US and abroad.

Andy's outstanding research was recognized and rewarded by a prestigious award citation and US$ 3,000 from the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) at the 14th National Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites at Cocoa Beach, Florida, in January 1990. This was a very significant honor and accomplishment for a student of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida."

Andy's Thesis Co-Advisor - Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA