Seven Bioengineering Students Recognized by the 2018 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees.

Recipients are awarded a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees.

This year, six bioengineering students at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering received this competitive award, and one received an honorable mention.

“Needless to say, I am delighted by this outstanding outcome,” said Sanjeev Shroff, Distinguished Professor and McGinnis Chair of Bioengineering at Pitt. “This underscores the quality of our students and their potential to serve as science ambassadors.  I am very happy to note that the infrastructure we had put in place six years ago to provide structured help to students applying for NSF-GRFP awards is now bearing fruit. This effort is currently led by Professor Patrick Loughlin, with support from several Swanson School faculty members and students who previously won NSF-GRFP awards.”

The NSF Fellows are expected to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering.

Current bioengineering students who were awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship include:

• Henry Phalen, undergraduate student in Dr. Ervin Sejdić’s lab

• Adam Lewis Smoulder, undergraduate student in Dr. Neeraj Gandhi’s lab

• Sarah Hemler, graduate student in Kurt Beschorner’s lab

• Angelica Janina Herrera, graduate student in Jen Collinger’s lab

• Monica Fei Liu, graduate student in Doug Weber’s lab

• Megan Routzong, graduate student in Dr. Steven Abramowitch’s lab

Maria Kathleen Jantz, a current bioengineering graduate student in Robert Gaunt’s lab, received an honorable mention.

In addition to the current Swanson School students, two bioengineering alumni were also recognized: Luke Dmach, a graduate student in Georgia Tech’s biomedical engineering program, received the NSF-GRFP award; and Corey Williams, a graduate student in the University of Virginia’s biomedical engineering program, received an honorable mention.

In total, eleven University of Pittsburgh students and four alumni were awarded the 2018 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Eleven Pitt students and four alumni also received honorable mentions.

Read more from the University of Pittsburgh’s press release.