Nine from Middlebury Receive NSF Research Awards and Honorable Mention

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The National Science Foundation has announced that four alumni have received 2017 graduate research fellowships (GRFP), while another four alumni plus a current Middlebury senior received honorable mention.

According to NSF, awardees are chosen from more than 13,000 applicants, representing a wide range of scientific disciplines. The group of 2,000 awardees is diverse, including 1,158 women, 498 individuals from underrepresented minority groups, 75 persons with disabilities, 26 veterans, and 726 undergraduate seniors. The awardees come from 449 baccalaureate institutions.

“Those who receive this highly competitive award are selected because the NSF sees them as the next generation of leaders in scientific and engineering research,” said Lisa Gates, associate dean for fellowships and research. “NSF recognizes how vital these areas are to our country’s innovation and economic growth.”

GRFP supports the graduate study of U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents attaining research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education at institutions located in the United States. Applicants are selected through the NSF peer review process.

A high priority for NSF and GRFP is increasing the diversity of the science and engineering workforce, including geographic distribution, and the participation of women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans.

GRFP provides three years of financial support within a five-year fellowship period ($34,000 annual stipend and $12,000 cost-of-education allowance to the graduate institution). That support is for graduate study that leads to a research-based master’s or doctoral degree in science and engineering.

Middlebury’s fellowships office supports both undergraduates and alumni in seeking NSF and other awards. Middlebury’s winners and honorable mentions include the following:

Winners

Avery Schiff ’15, geosciences – solar physics

Zachary Perzan ’14, geosciences – paleoclimate

Sarah Guth ’15, life sciences – ecology

Bart DiFiore ’09, geosciences – marine biology

Honorable Mention

Cynthia Wang-Claypool ’12, life sciences – evolutionary biology

Hannah Postel ’13, social sciences – public policy

Jessica Kong ’15, chemistry – chemical structure, dynamics, mechanism

Amanda Kaminsky ’13, social sciences – cultural anthropology

Jing He ’17, geosciences – physical oceanography