McKelvey Engineering students, alumni win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Several students and alumni also won honorable mentions

Beth Miller  

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

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 of $34,000 along with a $12,000 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 knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. 

In 2021, NSF made more than 2,000 fellowship offers to applicants. Nearly 1,800 applicants received honorable mentions, which is considered a significant academic achievement.

The new fellows from McKelvey Engineering include:

  • Ty Easley, who is pursuing graduate study in imaging science at WashU;
  • Ethan Genter, who will have earned bachelor's and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering in May 2021, will pursue graduate study in aeronautical and aerospace engineering and in mechanical engineering at Stanford University;
  • Chase Hartquist, who will have earned bachelor's and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering in May 2021, will pursue graduate study in mechanical engineering.

Alumni recipients include:

  • Eleanor Degen, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2019 and is studying at Northwestern University;
  • Andrew Ells, who earned bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and systems science & engineering in 2019, who is studying at Columbia University;
  • Christine Lucky, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 2017 and is studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison;
  • Jonathan Smith, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in May 2020 and is studying at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities;
  • Kyle Thomas, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in 2019 and is studying at Georgia Institute of Technology-Emory University;
  • Lily Xu, who earned bachelor’s degrees in biomedical engineering and in biology in May 2020 and is studying at Stanford University.

Those receiving honorable mentions include:

  • Zain Clapacs, who is pursuing a doctorate at Wash U in biomedical engineering in the lab of Jai Rudra, assistant professor of biomedical engineering;
  • Madeleine Goedegebuure, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in May 2020 and is studying at Northwestern University;
  • Katelyn Miyasaki, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering in May 2019 and is studying at the University of California, San Diego.
  • Suzanne Russo, who plans to begin graduate study in the Institute of Materials Science & Engineering at WashU in Fall 2021;
  • Addison Schwamb, who is pursuing a doctorate at WashU in electrical engineering.

The McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis promotes independent inquiry and education with an emphasis on scientific excellence, innovation and collaboration without boundaries. McKelvey Engineering has top-ranked research and graduate programs across departments, particularly in biomedical engineering, environmental engineering and computing, and has one of the most selective undergraduate programs in the country. With 165 full-time faculty, 1,420 undergraduate students, 1,614 graduate students and 21,000 living alumni, we are working to solve some of society’s greatest challenges; to prepare students to become leaders and innovate throughout their careers; and to be a catalyst of economic development for the St. Louis region and beyond.

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