Record Number of Students Receive National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships

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NSF Fellows: (from left to right) Scott Geurin, Rachel Lee and Stephen Crain.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Twelve University of Arkansas graduates won National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships for the upcoming academic year, and four more received honorable mentions.

Eight of the fellowship recipients are native Arkansans. Eleven of them were members of the Honors College program, six graduated from the College of Engineering, five from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and one received degrees from both the College of Engineering and Fulbright College. All four students who received honorable mentions graduated from the College of Engineering.

"It has been another great year for University of Arkansas students," said Chancellor G. David Gearhart. "Having 12 NSF Graduate Fellowships and four honorable mentions from our campus is remarkable. It speaks well of the preparation these students are receiving at the University of Arkansas. In the College of Engineering and the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences these students have engaged in scientific research with energetic support from faculty. Our students and their mentors are as talented as any in the country, as this extraordinary recognition makes clear.”

This is the largest number of University of Arkansas graduates to receive these fellowships. Last year, seven graduates received the awards, and five received the fellowships in 2008.

The graduate fellowship program is one of the National Science Foundation’s oldest and most highly competitive, with roots in the foundation’s original 1950 charter, offering support for graduate study in all scientific disciplines. NSF graduate fellows are promising young mathematicians, scientists and engineers who are expected to pursue lifelong careers marked by significant contributions to research, teaching and industrial applications in science, mathematics and engineering.

The awards carry a stipend for each fellow of $30,000 each year and are renewable for three years. In addition to the funds for stipend payments, the NSF provides the fellowship institution, on behalf of each fellow, a cost-of-education allowance of $10,500 per year. Fellows also receive a $1,000 one-time international travel allowance. Fellows and those who receive honorable mention are also given access to the supercomputer TeraGrid for their research.

 “Many of our faculty members have served on NSF selection panels, and we know how competitive this process is,” said Ashok Saxena, dean of the College of Engineering. “In the Southeastern Conference, the only public universities to have more NSF Fellows are Florida and Georgia, and both schools are much larger than ours. When you consider that South Carolina and Louisiana State had nine; Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee each had seven; Mississippi State five; Alabama two, and Auburn one you realize what an accomplishment this is. It truly is amazing. The close working relationships our students and faculty enjoy helps make this possible. Professors like Magda El-Shenawee take great pleasure and great pride in helping prepare students for these competitions.”

This year’s recipients are:

• Adam Barito, from Arkadelphia, graduated this spring with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering. He was a Bodenhamer Fellow and a member of the Honors College. His research mentors include professors Gay Stewart and Matt Gordon. Barito will pursue a doctorate in materials at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

• Brittany Bogle, from Neosho, Mo., also graduated this spring from the College of Engineering. She majored in industrial engineering and plans to continue her studies in that field at Northwestern University. She was an Honors College Fellow, and her research mentor was professor Scott Mason.

• Phillip Cleves, from Maumelle, was a Silas Hunt Scholar and in his junior year received the nationally competitive Barry Goldwater Scholarship for outstanding students in math, science and engineering. He graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in biology from Fulbright College. Professor Doug Rhoads was his research mentor. Cleves will use his NSF Research Grant to study evolutionary biology at the University of California at Berkeley.

• Stephen Crain, from Conway, was an Honors College fellow and graduated this year with a degree in electrical engineering. He conducted research with professor Magda El-Shenawee. He will pursue a doctoral degree in electrical and electronic engineering at Duke University.

• Zachary Donnell, from Miami, Okla., was an Honors College fellow and received an honorable mention in the Barry Goldwater Scholarship competition. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Fulbright College in 2009 and is pursuing a doctoral degree in microbiology at Princeton.

• Whitney Gammill, from Maumelle, was a Bodenhamer Fellow and also received the Goldwater Scholarship in her junior year. She graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She completed an honors research project with Andrew Proctor, a professor in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. Gammill will use her NSF funds to complete a doctorate in computational biology at Vanderbilt.

• Scott Geurin, from Little Rock, was an Honors College Fellow and graduated this spring from the College of Engineering with a major in electrical engineering. He completed research with professor Juan Balda and plans to continue a career in research. He will complete a doctoral degree in electrical engineering at the University of Arkansas.

• Raymond Edward Keveren, from Yellville, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in geography and a minor in art. His research mentors included professors Sonia Hausmann and John Dixon. He is pursuing a doctoral degree in geosciences at Queen’s University. His specific interest is paleoclimatology.

• Daniel Lavelle, from Germantown, Tenn., graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1996 with a degree in English. He is currently attending the University of California at Berkeley where he will use his NSF funds to pursue a doctoral degree in landscape ecology.

• Rachel Lee, from Gentry, was a Bodenhamer Fellow. She graduated this spring with bachelor’s degrees from two different colleges: one in chemical engineering from the College of Engineering and the other in physics from Fulbright College. Last year, Lee was also selected as a Goldwater Scholar. She completed an honors research project with physics professor Greg Salamo and plans to pursue a doctoral degree in physics at the University of Maryland, College Park.

• Julius Morehead, from Fayetteville, was a Burlsworth Scholar. He graduated in 2009 with a degree in mechanical engineering. His research mentor is professor Min Zou. He is attending graduate school at the university and will use his funds to pursue a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering.

• Nathaniel Sobin, from Colorado Springs, Colo., graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2005, with a master’s degree in civil engineering. His research mentor was professor Micah Hale, and he is planning to use his research funds to pursue a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Honorable mentions include Christopher Jones in environmental engineering, Christopher Nelson in biomedical engineering, Colin Paul in chemical engineering, and Bryan Petty in chemical engineering.

“These students have challenged themselves throughout their undergraduate careers. Eleven of them have participated in honors and all of them have completed ambitious research projects, some of them multiple projects, and that dedication pays off with this kind of support for graduate school,” said Bill Schwab, dean of Fulbright College. “The funding these 12 will receive totals more than $1 million. That represents an incredible opportunity, an opportunity that began on this campus, in our classrooms and in our labs. We are delighted for them and for the students who will follow in their footsteps.”