Six Named NSF Graduate Research Fellows
Six students from the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering have been named 2017 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellows. The Cockrell School of Engineering has a total of 21 NSF Graduate Research Fellows this year, more than any other college within the university.
NSF chose 2,000 individuals from over 13,000 applicants as this year’s recipients of awards from the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
“This unique program has nurtured economic innovation and leadership in the U.S. continuously since 1952 — by recruiting and supporting outstanding students with high potential in science, technology, engineering and mathematics very early in their graduate training,” said Jim Lewis, NSF acting assistant director for Education and Human Resources. “These talented individuals have gone on to make important discoveries, win Nobel Prizes, train many generations of American scientists and engineers and create inventions that improve our lives.”
Awardees represent a diverse group of scientific disciplines and from all states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. commonwealths and territories. The group is diverse, including 1,158 women, 498 individuals from underrepresented minority groups, 75 persons with disabilities, 26 veterans and 726 senior undergraduates.
The new Fellows come from 449 baccalaureate institutions — 65 more institutions than in 2010, when GRFP began awarding 2,000 fellowships each year.
2017 department NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipients include:
| Student | Level | Research Group |
| Shehab Alzobaidi* | Graduate | Johnston Group |
| Brennan Coffey | Graduate | Ekerdt Group |
| Andrea DiVenere | Graduate | Maynard Group |
| Alysha Helenic | Graduate | Lynd Group |
| Mia Mihailovic | Graduate | Contreras Group |
| Matthew Miller | Graduate | Peppas Group |
“The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship competition is fiercely competitive,” department chair, Dr. Thomas Truskett, said. “It’s gratifying to see our students’ continued success in winning these awards, which reflects both their outstanding preparation and aptitude for exceptional careers in research.”
Former NSF Fellows include numerous individuals who have made transformative breakthroughs in science and engineering, have become leaders in their chosen careers, and been honored as Nobel laureates. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents and are selected through the NSF peer review process.
NSF has posted a complete list of those offered this fellowship for 2017, and general information on GRFP is available at the program’s website.
*not pictured.
Tags: Cockrell School of Engineering, Graduate Research Fellows, McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, National Science Foundation, NSF, NSF Fellows, Texas ChE, The University of Texas at Austin, UT Austin