The National Science Foundation (NSF) received more than 12,000 applications, from all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, for this year’s Graduate Research Fellowship. Of the 2,000 reward offers made to outstanding students pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees, five were awarded to Woodruff School graduate researchers.

The Woodruff School is very pleased to present this year’s NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipients and their advisors:

Camila Camargo, Mechanical Engineering, Advisor – Susan Thomas

Marshall Johnson, Mechanical Engineering, Advisor – Surya Kalidindi

Karen Martin, Mechanical Engineering (BIOE), Advisor – Andres Garcia

Marguerite Matherne, Mechanical Engineering, Advisor – David Hu

Alexander Murphy, Mechanical Engineering, Advisor – Julie Linsey

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is the country’s oldest fellowship program that directly supports graduate students in various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. As the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the GRFP has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers. The reputation of the GRFP follows recipients and often helps them become life-long leaders that contribute significantly to both scientific innovation and teaching.

"To support U.S. leadership and innovation in science and engineering, we must recognize and nurture talent from all of our nation's communities," said Jim Lewis, NSF acting assistant director for Education and Human Resources. "I am pleased that again this year, the competition has selected talented students from all economic backgrounds and all demographic categories. In addition, NSF worked successfully to accommodate students from U.S. islands devastated by Hurricanes Maria and Irma, so that they could still compete for a fellowship."

The group of 2,000 awardees is diverse, including 1,156 women, 461 individuals from underrepresented minority groups, 75 persons with disabilities, 27 veterans and 780 who have not yet enrolled in graduate school. These awardees did their undergraduate studies at more than 443 institutions, ranging from small undergraduate, minority-serving, tribal and community colleges, to large state or private universities and Ivy League institutions.

Since 1952, NSF has funded close to 50,000 Graduate Research Fellowships out of more than 500,000 applicants.  Currently, 42 Fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates, and more than 450 have become members of the National Academy of Sciences.  In addition, the Graduate Research Fellowship Program has a high rate of doctorate degree completion, with more than 70 percent of students completing their doctorates within 11 years.