NSF graduate research fellowships go to 16 Tar Heels
The prestigious National Science Foundation award supports education, professional development and research.
This year, 12 graduate students and four undergraduates at UNC-Chapel Hill received fellowships from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Their research covers several STEM-related fields, including biology, sociology, genetics and anthropology.
Begun in 1952, this fellowship is the oldest of its kind directly supporting graduate students in STEM. Its purpose is not only to ensure the quality and vitality in U.S. scientific and engineering workforces but also to broaden and diversify the talent in STEM-related professions. Federal funding through a three-year stipend provides educational support, professional development and international research opportunities for recipients.
Beth Mayer-Davis, dean of The Graduate School, noted that the recipients of this year’s awards are making fundamental strides in overcoming obstacles that affect the lives of people and the environment not just in North Carolina but around the globe.
“The excellent work of these students highlights the depth of knowledge being generated through graduate education at UNC-Chapel Hill,” Mayer-Davis said. “It is this kind of impactful research that sets Carolina students apart as our next generation of leaders.”
The UNC-Chapel Hill chapter of the Materials Research Society partnered with The Graduate School to help students develop key skills and provide opportunities to network with scientific professionals. One such opportunity is the NSF GRFP peer-review workshop. This annual peer-review workshop provides senior undergraduates and first- and second-year graduate students an environment to meet one-on-one with NSF GRFP fellows.
These UNC-Chapel Hill graduate students received NSF fellowships:
- Andrew Boyle, College of Arts and Sciences’ physics and astronomy department.
- Henry Dieckhaus, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
- Abigail Foes, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
- Georgina Gemayel, College of Arts and Sciences’ geography and environment department.
- Camryn Gloor, College of Arts and Sciences’ chemistry department.
- Lauren Hutchinson, College of Arts and Sciences’ chemistry department.
- Micah Hysong, College of Arts and Sciences’ and UNC School of Medicine’s genetics and molecular biology curriculum.
- Athena Owirodu, College of Arts and Sciences’ sociology department.
- Ryan Salcido, College of Arts and Sciences’ and UNC School of Medicine’s genetics and molecular biology curriculum.
- Gates Schneider, UNC School of Medicine’s biological and biomedical sciences program.
- Samuel Weaver, College of Arts and Sciences’ chemistry department.
- Adriana Wisniewski, College of Arts and Sciences’ anthropology department.
These UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduate students received NSF fellowships:
- Stephanie Caddell, College of Arts and Sciences’ earth, marine and environmental sciences department.
- Xinyi Li, College of Arts and Sciences’ and North Carolina State University’s biomedical engineering joint department.
- Christine Mendoza, College of Arts and Sciences’ computer science department.
- Dain Ruiz, College of Arts and Sciences’ biology department.
