UNC students awarded prestigious NSF fellowships

Twenty-three students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently received a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which recognizes outstanding graduate students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. An additional 25 Carolina applicants were accorded honorable mention in the competition.

NSF fellows receive three years of support from the agency, including a $32,000 annual stipend, a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance to the institution, international research and professional development opportunities and access to a supercomputer. Currently, 71 Carolina graduate students are being supported with NSF GRFP fellowships.

“Carolina’s talented graduate students who work alongside our esteemed faculty make significant contributions in teaching and research at our great University,” said Chancellor Carol L. Folt. “We thank the National Science Foundation for supporting these promising scientists and engineers who are developing important, new ideas for North Carolina and the world.”

NSF received more than 14,000 applications for the 2014 competition and made 2,000 fellowship award offers. Fellowship recipients may choose to continue their research at their current institution or transfer to another U.S. university.

2014 UNC-Chapel Hill Recipients of NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Katherine J. Barrett, social science – medical anthropology

Donte LeShon Bernard, psychology – developmental

Kelly Nicole Bodwin, mathematical sciences – statistics

James Robert Byrnes, life sciences – biochemistry

Alisha Renee Coffey, life sciences – cell biology

Nicole Delita Fleming, life sciences – developmental biology

Javier Grajeda, chemistry – chemical catalysis

Kelley J. Hammon, chemistry – chemical structure, dynamics, and mechanism

Erika Helgeson, mathematical sciences – biostatistics

Teague Henry, psychology – quantitative

Adam J. Hoffman, psychology – developmental

Moira Pauline Johnson, social sciences – sociology (except Social Work)

Michael Christopher Jones, social sciences – geography

Elizabeth Audrey Keenan, chemistry – polymer materials

Danielle Arletta Keller, life sciences – ecology

Katrina Marie Kutchko, life sciences – genomics

Michael S. Little, life sciences – structural biology

Mallory Melton, social sciences – archaeology

Benjamin David Morris, life sciences – ecology

Christopher William Pinion, chemistry – materials/physical

Kristina Norinne Schaefer, life sciences – genetics

Casey Schmidt, life sciences – genetics

Hillary Suzanne Smith, life sciences – geography

2014 UNC-Chapel Hill Honorable Mentions

Rebecca Cressey Adikes, life sciences – structural biology

Ariana Felicia Bevilacqua, life sciences – biochemistry

William Lawrence Czaplyski, chemistry – chemical synthesis

Sophia Caroline Dent, social sciences – biological anthropology

Chelsea Leigh Estancona, social sciences – political science

David John Hill, chemistry – macromolecular, supramolecular and nanochemistry

Adrienne Leigh Hoarfrost, geosciences – biological oceanography

Kent Mung-Hao Lee, psychology – social

Kaila Ashley Margrey, chemistry – chemical synthesis

Joseph Philip Morton, life sciences – ecology

Brandon Scott Moyer, chemistry – chemical catalysis

Stephanie Alyce Murray, chemistry – chemical catalysis

Evan Franklin Nelsen, physics and astronomy – physics of living systems

Bailey Cristina Eileen Peck, life sciences – genetics

Katherine Aidan Perkins, psychology – developmental

Catherine Lacy Pitman, chemistry – chemical catalysis

Cody Keith Porter, life sciences – evolutionary biology

Christina Ann Roselli, chemistry – inorganic

Kelsey Shoub, social sciences – political science

Georgia Catherine Titcomb, life sciences – integrative biology

Scott Karl Van Buren, mathematical sciences – biostatistics

Eric Van Buren, mathematical sciences – biostatistics

Erika Van Goethem, chemistry – sustainable chemistry

Joshua Thomas Wassink, social sciences – sociology (except social work)

Varvara E Zemskova, geosciences – physical oceanography

Graduate students who receive prestigious external fellowship bring millions of dollars in external funding to support their graduate studies each year. On April 24, the Graduate School recognized 380 graduate students for winning competitive, national fellowships and grants during academic year 2013-2014, including NSF GRFP fellowships.

The full list of external fellowship awardees can be found at http://gradschool.unc.edu/events/recognition/.