McKelvey Engineering students, alumni win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The fellowships include a three-year annual stipend and cost-of-education allowance

Molly Olten 04.06.2023

Several McKelvey School of Engineering students and alumni have been offered the highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.

The program 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 at accredited U.S. institutions. The fellowship includes a three-year annual stipend along with a cost of education allowance for tuition and fees, opportunities for international research and professional development, and the opportunity to conduct their own research. NSF Fellows are anticipated to become experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching and innovations in science and engineering.

In 2023, NSF made nearly 3,000 fellowship offers to applicants. More than 800 applicants received honorable mentions, which is considered a significant academic achievement.

The new fellows from McKelvey Engineering include:

Francesca Bonetta-Misteli, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2022 and is a doctoral student in biomedical engineering;
Annabella Mascot, a candidate for a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in May 2023;
Abby Matt, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2021 and is a doctoral student in biomedical engineering.

Alumni recipients include:

Michelle Hedlund, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2020 and is a doctoral student at Stanford University;
Aaron Kirtland, who earned bachelor’s degrees in computer science and mathematics in 2021 and is pursuing graduate studies at Brown University;
Bianca Peña, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2021 and is pursuing graduate studies at the University of California San Diego;
Spencer Williams, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2022 and is studying at Rice University.

Dominique Meyer, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2019 at WashU and is a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University, received an honorable mention.