UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Graduate School at Penn State welcomes 21 new National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recipients for the 2022-23 academic year. These 21 students join 59 prior recipients continuing in the University’s graduate degree programs in the Eberly College of Science, College of Agricultural Sciences, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Health and Human Development, and the College of the Liberal Arts, as well as the Intercollege Graduate Degree Programs.
The NSF program supports outstanding graduate students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines; those in STEM education and learning research; and those in social and behavioral sciences, who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees.
The 2022-23 class of new fellows at the University are:
- Samantha Albee, doctoral student in ecology
- Danielle Buchheister, doctoral student is geosciences
- Heidi Busse, doctoral student in chemistry
- Jordan Brown, master’s student in agricultural and biological engineering
- Jasper Chao, doctoral student in biology
- Lauren Chu, doctoral student in biobehavioral health
- Maya Dalton, doctoral student in political science
- Nicholas Evich, doctoral student in mechanical engineering
- Erik Furton, doctoral student in materials science and engineering
- Cristal Giorio Jackson, doctoral student in psychology
- Caeley Hankinson, doctoral student in molecular, cellular, and integrative biosciences
- Jenna Kanyak, doctoral student in chemistry
- Isabella Petitta, master’s student in ecology
- Timothy Prestby, master’s student in geography
- Maria Rochow, doctoral student in materials science and engineering
- Aiden Ross, doctoral student in materials science and engineering
- Dante Serrano, doctoral student in biochemistry and molecular biology
- Edward Spagnuolo, doctoral student in geosciences
- Jamie Spychalla, doctoral student in plant pathology
- Courtney Tharp, doctoral student in plant biology
- Michelle Wong, doctoral student in architectural engineering
According to the NSF website, “as the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the GRFP has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers.” The website states that fellows benefit from a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees (paid to the institution), opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education they choose.
The GRFP annual program solicitation was released in July and is available on the NSF website. Applications are accepted via Fastlane, the NSF's official online information and business transaction center. Application deadlines begin in late October and vary depending on the field of study.
NSF-supported fields of study include: chemistry, computer and information science and engineering, engineering, geosciences, life sciences, materials research, mathematical sciences, physics and astronomy, psychology, social sciences, and STEM education and learning research.
Honorable mentions:
- Samuel Birrer, doctoral student in chemistry
- Victoria Boehm, class of 2022 bachelor of science in astronomy and astrophysics
- Elizabeth Boville, doctoral student in biology
- Ruth Buck, doctoral student in geography
- Christopher DeSalle, doctoral student in materials science and engineering
- Francesca Ferguson, doctoral student in ecology
- Rebecca Jonas, doctoral student in informatics
- Thomas Nguyen, class of 2022 bachelor of science in astronomy and astrophysics
- Haley Tholen, doctoral student in mechanical engineering
- Michael Zaidel, class of 2022 bachelor of science in astronomy and astrophysics
For additional information on the GRFP, contact the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards Administration at gsfellowships@psu.edu.