University of Maryland Eastern Shore News April 13, 2016 Citizen-soldier-scholar wins 2016 Bernstein award Mulugeta Brtu was 15 and did not speak English when his family immigrated to America from Ethiopia a little more than a decade ago. Brtu mastered a new language in the ensuing 11 years and is now on the cusp of earning a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. His work ethic and creative thinking so impressed his professors they selected him to receive the 2016 Richard Bernstein Achievement Award of Excellence, one of UMES' most prestigious individual undergraduate honors. Named for a prominent Salisbury entrepreneur and philanthropist, the Bernstein honor is a $5,000 stipend awarded to a senior "who has demonstrated leadership at school or community, conducted scholarly efforts with high potential to sustain scholarly efforts despite adversary and personal challenges to earn a degree." Serving a nine-month tour as a military patrol officer in Kandahar, Afghanistan meets that criteria without question. Brtu, known to his friends as "Bobby," began his college studies at Indiana State, 650 miles from his new American home in Silver Spring, Md. Leaving an enclave where his native Amharic was spoken he believes accelerated his assimilation as an English-speaking college student. A year of long bus rides to and from Terre Haute, however, convinced him to transfer to a college closer to home. UMES seemed like a good fit, especially since it offered a degree in aviation science. Brtu's mother was not keen on his interest in flying, though, so he gravitated to mechanical engineering when he enrolled in the fall of 2010. "I've been interested in engineering for as long as I can remember," he said. In the spring 2011, he joined the Maryland Army National Guard because he viewed military service as a way to demonstrate his gratitude to be living in "the greatest nation on Earth," he recalls an uncle telling him. Within a year, he was deployed to Afghanistan, where most citizens he encountered endure crushing poverty and live in fear of terrorism. Fear, Brtu said, "is an everyday thing" for American servicemen, as well, and "coping with it is what brings you back alive. That's what I choose to do." When he returned stateside, Brtu initially struggled academically. After a so-so half semester where he didn't perform up to his expectations, he regained focus on his studies and in the process earned the respect of peers and faculty. As a member of the Army National Guard's 115th military police battalion based in Salisbury, Brtu has balanced his college studies with the role of first responder to weather emergencies, and in the spring of 2015, to quell civil disobedience in Baltimore. Looking into the eyes of fellow Americans, fully outfitted as he had been in Afghanistan, triggered some trepidation. "I remember thinking "I don't know if I'm ready for this,'" he said. Brtu is wrapping up work on his senior design project under Dr. Payam Matin's supervision. He's exploring design options for a magnetically-driven power generator with no mechanical or chemical energy input. "This is a challenging project," Matin said, "because sophisticated mathematical formulation and analysis, various engineering design techniques, and independent research studies are involved." Matin credits Brtu for initiating the idea to design and develop the "green generator" while working closely with another student. "He has shown technical competency, persistence and leadership while working in a team framework," Matin said. "I can attest the mathematical formulations he has developed for the design and analysis of his system is impressive, and show his potential for continued scholarly efforts." As is the custom during the spring Honors Convocation<https://www.umes.edu/PR/Article.aspx?id=54855>, the Bernstein award recipient is a closely held secret until the winner's name is announced. Brtu, who as a youngster learned from his father how to make handmade furniture, was uncertain he heard his name announced. "I was in shock. I had no idea," Brtu said. Then he remembered Matin, who presented the award, urging him a few days earlier to attend the ceremony without explanation. "I had to go hug him," Brtu said. He credits UMES' faculty with instilling in him the confidence to start a career as a mechanical engineer.. "They're not only good teachers," he said. "They're really good mentors." SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-592-4820 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.