1. An Equal Opportunity Institution
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING P.O. BOX 116005
Department of Chemical Engineering Gainesville, Florida 32611-6005
Telephone: (352) 392-9101
Fax: (352) 392-9513
E-mail:svoronos@ufl.edu
September 20, 2012
To whom it may concern:
I am writing to nominate Qian (Ruby) Song for the Engineering Outstanding
International Student Award. Ruby is currently conducting a Masters research project
under the joint direction of Professor Koopman and myself, and also took two of my
classes, Process Engineering I and Process Engineering II, during the summer of 2012.
Thus I got to know Ruby quite well.
Ruby's performance in classes has been outstanding (GPA 3.91/4.00) and in the
Process Engineering classes she was almost perfect in all aspects (exams, homework, and
project) earning top A's. It was evident by both her test performance and her class
participation that she is extremely intelligent and possesses superb analytical skills.
For her research she is investigating the phenomenon of diauxic lag in biological
nitrogen removal. This involves a large number of bioreactor experiments. Her general
experimental skills are outstanding, and I was impressed by how fast she learned the
specific techniques required for her research. She is also highly motivated (some
experiments last 24 hours), hard working, and has a pleasant personality. Furthermore,
she is highly intelligent and creative, and has outstanding problem solving skills.

2. An Equal Opportunity Institution
Her dedication and accomplishments make Ruby Song a most deserving candidate
for the Engineering Outstanding International Student Award, and I support her
candidancy in the strongest possible manner.
Sincerely,
Spyros A. Svoronos
Professor