College of Science graduate students selected for NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

April 22, 2022
By Scott Coleman, College of Science

The University of Arizona had nine current students and 15 students overall selected for the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), including three from the College of Science. The CoS also had six students selected as Honorable Mentions.

The NSF GRFP is the country’s oldest fellowship program that directly supports graduate students in various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $34,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000 to the institution.

The three graduate students in the College of Science awarded the NSF GRFP are:

  • Archer Bowman – College of Science, Neuroscience
  • Stephanie Gastelum – College of Science, Molecular & Cellular Biology
  • Samuel Myers – College of Science, Planetary Sciences

The six College of Science graduate students to receive Honorable Mention are:

  • Michael Cardenas – College of Science, Neuroscience
  • Soley Hyman – College of Science, Astronomy & Astrophysics
  • Sophie Lebowitz – College of Science, Astronomy & Astrophysics
  • Riley O'Neill – College of Science, Psychology
  • Anna Roche – College of Science, Physics
  • Skyler Wyly – College of Science, Neuroscience & Cognitive Neuroscience

According to the NSF GRFP website, NSF Fellows are anticipated to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. These individuals are crucial to maintaining and advancing the nation’s technological infrastructure and national security as well as contributing to the economic well-being of society at large.

Since 1952, the NSF has funded over 60,000 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.

The College of Science congratulates all of this year's NSF GRFP recipients!