Seventeen exceptional undergraduate and graduate students, and alumni, from Michigan State University have been selected for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), along with 17 honorable mentions.
The program is the country’s oldest graduate fellowship program that directly supports graduate students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.
NSF Graduate Research 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.
“It is exciting to see so many of our outstanding students getting these exceptionally prestigious and increasingly competitive awards,” said Thomas Jeitschko, dean of the Graduate School and associate provost for graduate education. “We are very pleased with their success and are proud of how their accomplishments reflect well on graduate level research initiatives at MSU.”
“I want to congratulate the students and their faculty mentors,” said Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, dean of the Honors College. “The commitment of these students to research will undoubtedly lead to discoveries that have the potential to transform lives across the globe.”
Below are the names of the 17 students who were named NSF Graduate Research Fellows:
- Ognenka Avramovska, an Honors College graduate with degrees in microbiology, and genomics and molecular genetics from Lyman Briggs College. She is planning to attend graduate school at Emory University.
- Eliot Bongiovanni, an Honors College senior majoring in advanced mathematics and statistics in the College of Natural Science.
- Monique (Daignault) Crouse, an Honors College graduate with a degree in psychology from the College of Social Science. She is planning to attend graduate school at the University of California- Santa Cruz.
- Elizabeth Drueke, an Honors College graduate with degrees in advanced mathematics and physics from the College of Natural Science. She is a graduate student at the University of Michigan.
- Veronica Frans is an incoming graduate student studying fisheries and wildlife in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
- Meg Kargul, an Honors College graduate with a degree in environmental biology/plant biology from Lyman Briggs College. She plans to attend graduate school at the University of California-Riverside.
- David Knupp, a genomics and molecular genetics graduate from the College of Natural Science.
- Bryan Lakey, an Honors College graduate with degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology/biotechnology, and microbiology from the College of Natural Science. He is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- David Lozano, a psychology graduate from the College of Social Science and a neuroscience graduate from the College of Natural Science.
- Jessica Mizzi, a biochemistry and molecular biology graduate from Lyman Briggs College. She is a graduate student at the University of California-Davis.
- Matthew Moreno, a graduate student studying computer science in the College of Engineering.
- Nathan Murray, a biochemistry and molecular biology graduate from Lyman Briggs College.
- Marcela Omans, a graduate student studying anthropology in the College of Social Science.
- Alison Peisker, a graduate student studying physics in the College of Natural Science.
- Jason Sammut, an Honors College senior majoring in mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering.
- Aiko Turmo, a graduate student studying biochemistry and molecular biology in the College of Natural Science.
- Katherine Wozniak, an Honors College graduate with a degree in microbiology from the College of Natural Science. She is a graduate student at the University of Michigan.
The Graduate School is the principal advocate for graduate, graduate professional, and post-doctoral education at Michigan State University, and promotes the quality and visibility of these programs to the world.
The Honors College serves academically talented, committed students who wish to pursue and achieve academic excellence.
The National/International Fellowship and Scholarship (NIFS) Office at Michigan State University, administered by the Honors College, helps interested undergraduate and graduate students pursue major national and international opportunities by providing information and direct support throughout the competitive application processes.