{"id":2157,"date":"2016-07-19T14:12:34","date_gmt":"2016-07-19T14:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/cas\/?p=2157"},"modified":"2024-07-12T16:11:59","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T16:11:59","slug":"alumni-spotlight-todd-butler-phd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/2016\/07\/19\/alumni-spotlight-todd-butler-phd\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Spotlight: Todd Butler, PhD"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<h3>Todd M. Butler, PhD &#8211; Honors Physics, 2010<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/cas\/2016\/07\/19\/alumni-spotlight-todd-butler-phd\/butler_todd\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2160\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2160\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/07\/Butler_Todd-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"Todd Butler, Physics Alum\" width=\"430\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/07\/Butler_Todd-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/07\/Butler_Todd-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/07\/Butler_Todd-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/07\/Butler_Todd.jpeg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>What are you doing now?<br \/>\n<\/strong>Following my tenure at UM-flint, I completed my M.S. and PhD degrees in metallurgical engineering at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. I am currently employed by UES, Inc. and work at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as an on-site contractor in the materials and manufacturing directorate. My current duties include assisting in the analytical characterization of several metal-based AFRL research projects.\u00a0 This includes the ability to alter the direction of certain aspects of each project. I am actively participating in research related to direct air force related applications. My current goal is to continue to develop into a tenured scientist and remain actively present in the scientific community by disseminating results through conferences and peer-reviewed manuscripts. I&#8217;ve also had an interest to potentially return to academia in the future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did your University of Michigan-Flint education prepare you for what you are doing now or the career you\u2019ve had?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I owe much of my success today to experiences encountered at UM-Flint, and in particular the honors program. Classes at UM-Flint taught me how to actively think and understand scientific principles. They also provided me with a\u00a0fundamental\u00a0understanding of math and science that I found rivaled many other institutions. I was also active in undergraduate research, which taught me how to figure things out (problem solve) and how to properly approach challenges in life. My entire career at UM-Flint more than adequately prepared me for further graduate studies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have any reflections on your choice of Physics as a major? What do you love about this field?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I am very happy that I chose to learn physics for an undergraduate degree. It was challenging and rewarding at the same time. Interestingly enough, I did not pursue physics for a graduate degree and studied metallurgical and materials engineering instead. However, my time as a physics major provided me with a toolbox of skills for any scientific problem or challenge. The whole idea around physics is to understand the main concepts and be able to apply them to non-ideal problems. This ultimately made my transition to a materials scientist relatively easy.\u00a0I found that it gave me an edge over other engineering majors and allowed me to think about problems and challenges in a different way.\u00a0 It also made my graduate classes much easier in comparison to some of the challenging undergraduate physics courses.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who made the biggest impact on your UM-Flint career?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I would say that two individuals stand out with regards to my experience at UM-Flint. They include both Mojtaba Vaziri, who was my mentor and research advisor, and Maureen Thum, who was my mentor in the honors program. Dr. Vaziri provided a continuous supply of encouragement in both classwork and also scientific research. Through him, I participated in several research conferences as an undergraduate, where I was able to disseminate my own results. I highly value my experience with Dr. Vaziri because he helped shape me into the scientist I am today.\u00a0In addition, Dr. Thum was definitely the most memorable individual at UM-Flint. She always exhibited a high level of enthusiasm and it was clear that she cared for you. I owe my writing ability to her, since she molded me into a great writer. This has helped me in an immeasurable way as an engineer and scientist who often writes proposals, reports, and peer-reviewed manuscripts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Describe a firsthand example of an impactful learning experience at UM-Flint.<br \/>\n<\/strong>The most impactful learning experience I can remember is my off-campus study for my senior year in the honors program. We were required to conduct a research project off-site and develop an introductory proposal, conduct the research off-site, and ultimately provide a scientific thesis at the end. I chose to participate in an REU physics program in Alabama, where I worked on a materials science related project with CVD diamond films. This experience opened my eyes to the field of materials science and metallurgy.\u00a0 Ironically, I ended up at the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa for my graduate degrees in metallurgical engineering. I honestly believe that without such an experience at UM-Flint, I would not be where I am today.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2170\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2170\" style=\"width: 351px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/cas\/2016\/07\/19\/alumni-spotlight-todd-butler-phd\/butler\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2170\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2170 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/cas\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/07\/butler.jpeg\" alt=\"Working with a transmission electron microscope (TEM) during graduate school.\" width=\"351\" height=\"362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/07\/butler.jpeg 351w, https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2016\/07\/butler-291x300.jpeg 291w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 351px) 100vw, 351px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2170\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Todd Butler working with a transmission electron microscope (TEM) during graduate school.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>What does UM-Flint do better than any other university?<\/strong><br \/>\nUM-Flint provides a personal sense of encouragement and knowledge that other larger institutions don&#8217;t necessarily exhibit. I enjoyed the smaller classes and personal lifelong relationships that I was able to develop with key faculty in my major. I think that these attributes ultimately fostered a higher level of learning and thought. I am quite happy with my choice of UM-Flint for my undergraduate career because I was truly prepared for future\u00a0endeavors.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What advice would you give to an incoming UM-Flint freshman?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I would tell UM-Flint freshman that they chose the right institution. I would also recommend that they learn as much as possible, since the opportunity is there. It is essential to take advantage of the unique\u00a0opportunities\u00a0that UM-Flint delivers, both academically and socially. Specific to science majors, I would also recommend talking with faculty and mentors early on and try to actively pursue research all throughout their tenure at UM-Flint. Lastly, I would tell them to take all of the classes they can, since they will be taught by highly experienced faculty that love to teach. One doesn&#8217;t truly realize the opportunity for learning until you graduate and look back at all of the topics and courses that you wish you would have pursued as a student.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What advice do you have for graduating seniors entering the job field?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I would advise graduating seniors to hold their heads high and be confident with the degree that you earned at UM-Flint. As a graduate student, I rivaled the skills of many other students that attended top ten big name schools. In my professional career at the Air Force Research Laboratory, I [work] actively with world experts and have the ability to speak at a high level with them. Don&#8217;t be afraid to pursue your dream job or dream school, as I know if you worked hard at UM-Flint you will be ready for anything that comes your way!<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your hopes for the UM-Flint of the future?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I hope that UM-Flint continues a high level of academic preparation for students that I encountered in my experience. I would like to see the institution grow and develop a reputation similar to the Ann Arbor campus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<p>For more information on the programs that prepared Todd for his successful career as a scientist, visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/physics\">Physics<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/honors\">Honors Program<\/a> websites. To register for an upcoming semester, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/register\">umflint.edu\/register<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Todd M. Butler, PhD &#8211; Honors Physics, 2010 What are you doing now? Following my tenure at UM-flint, I completed my M.S. and PhD degrees in metallurgical engineering at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. I am currently employed by UES, Inc. and work at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,47,20,38,24,28,1],"tags":[70],"class_list":["post-2157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni-news","category-college-news","category-liberal-arts","category-liberal-education","category-physics","category-student-news","category-uncategorized","tag-case"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Alumni Spotlight: Todd Butler, PhD - Blog | UM-Flint College of Arts, Sciences &amp; Education<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/2016\/07\/19\/alumni-spotlight-todd-butler-phd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alumni Spotlight: Todd Butler, PhD - Blog | UM-Flint College of Arts, Sciences &amp; Education\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Todd M. 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