Eight current or former University of Notre Dame students have been awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships, with an additional 16 singled out for honorable mention for the award.

Established in 1952, the Graduate Research Fellowship Program provides financial and other support to students in NSF-backed STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) disciplines to participate in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs at accredited institutions in the U.S.

Applicants work closely with their advisers to create compelling personal statements and research plans. Notre Dame students can also consult with experts from the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) or its counterpart, the Office of Grants and Fellowships, in the Graduate School.

Jeff Thibert is the Paul and Maureen Stefanick Director of CUSE.

"On behalf of CUSE, I'd like to congratulate this year's NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipients and honorable mentions,” Thibert said. “In a year where the number of fellowships was reduced to 1,000 from the expected number of 2,300, it is an especially significant accomplishment to be not only a recipient but also an honorable mention. It is our hope that more funds will become available to the NSF, allowing them to convert at least some of the honorable mentions to recipients.

He continued, “Thank you, as always, to the students' and alumni's mentors, and thank you especially to Emily Hunt, the CUSE assistant director of scholarly development, who works with the NSF GRFP (among other fellowships) and devotes a significant amount of time to providing advice and feedback to our applicants. We're lucky to have her on our team.”

Michael Skalski, associate program director of the Office of Grants and Fellowships, said, “The success of our students in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship competition is a testament to their individual drive, the mentorship of their faculty advisors, the vibrant research environment fostered at Notre Dame and the collaborative support offered by resources like the Graduate School's Office of Grants and Fellowships. This year, we are especially proud of and impressed by the robust number of students who received honorable mention. We celebrate the achievements of all of those recognized and look forward to their future contributions to STEM.”

The fellows are:

Undergraduate alumni

• Joseph Kelly (psychology)

• Caroline Lubbe (STEM education and learning research)

• Patrick Schwartz (engineering)

• Timothy Welch (engineering)

• Bailee Zacovic (mathematical sciences)

Graduate

• Marla Gravino (chemistry)

• Madison MacDougall (life sciences)

• Sophia Richter (life sciences)

The honorable mentions are:

Undergraduate

• Katherine Brandin (life sciences)

• Sara Murray (chemistry)

• Delaney Smith (engineering)

Undergraduate alumni

• Emma Bartley (psychology)

• Sydney Carlino (social sciences)

• Cassandra Franke (psychology)

• Nikol Garcia Espinoza (engineering)

• Lauren Hollmer (life sciences)

• Doyup Kwon (engineering)

• Quinn Mackay (geosciences)

• Michelena O’Rourke (engineering)

• Oliver Reyes (life sciences)

• Joseph Tatarka (social sciences)

Graduate

• Regina Mannino (mathematical sciences)

• Hannah O’Grady (life sciences)

• Daniel Volpi (engineering)

• Andrew Yang (computational science and engineering)