Eppright Outstanding International Student Award
Jaskirat Singh Batra has been named winner of Texas A&M University’s 2016 Eppright Outstanding International Student. Batra is a graduate student pursuing a PhD degree in materials science and engineering in the Dwight Look College of Engineering.
The Texas A&M Eppright Outstanding International Student Award is the highest honor presented to a currently enrolled international student. The award recognizes the outstanding contribution made by a student to international understanding and leadership at Texas A&M and in the local community. Facilitated by Scholarships and Financial Aid, the award, which carries with it a $2,000 scholarship, recognizes excellent academic record, involvement in a wide array of university and community activities, and promotion of international awareness on campus and in the community.
Chad Wootton, associate vice president for external affairs who presented the award, said “he is a great example of students who, no matter where they come from around the world, embrace the Aggie value of selfless service to the greater good while pursuing their academic dreams.”
Batra’s research lies at the intersection of material science, electrical engineering and life science. He aspires to make contributions in the field of medical technologies and has co-authored five journal publications and presented at many conferences. He has earned numerous academic, research and leadership awards throughout his career, most notably 2016 Buck Weirus Spirit Award and 2016 Who’s Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He was also a nominee from Texas A&M for the highly prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) International Student Fellowship in 2015.
In his role as the founding president of Aggies in Science, Technology and Engineering Policy (A-STEP), a student organization Batra started in May 2015, he has engaged scientists in policy and provided opportunities for over 150 students to learn how to communicate science effectively. He also participated in a prestigious science policy program called Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) in 2015. While serving as the counselor and chair for Grad Camp 2015, Batra mentored and helped welcome more than 200 graduate students to Texas A&M University, and he will continue doing that as an Assistant Director of Grad Camp 2016. Even in his research lab, he has mentored over 30 undergraduate students through AggiE Challenge program and other summer research programs.
Batra is also involved with the Sikhs Student Association and the Graduate and Professional Student Council where he has held leadership roles. His nominator said “while his extracurricular activities and academic performance are enough for a nomination, he also embodies the core concept of selfless service, his maturity is beyond his years in his ability to motivate and commend his colleagues.”
Riyadh Chakmachi, a former international student from Iraq, created the Outstanding International Student Award in 1985. In 1991, the award was endowed through the generosity of the late Col. George J. Eppright, class of 1926. The criterion to receive this prestigious award includes an excellent academic record, involvement in a wide array of university and community activities, and promotion of international awareness on campus and in the community.
Media contact: tamunews@tamu.edu.
