NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Recognizes 11 UK Students, Alums

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that five students and alumnae have been selected to receive government-funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. In addition, six other UK students received honorable mention recognition from the NSF. 

NSF Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees for a research-based master's or doctoral degree in a STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) field. Annually, the NSF awards approximately 1,500 fellowships from an applicant pool of over 12,000.

“I am sure I am only starting to imagine the opportunities in front of me thanks to this fellowship,” NSF GRFP recipient Stephen Parsons said. “The stability provided by the fellowship will allow me to commit to long term, difficult problems in my existing research that have the highest impact. I am already looking forward to the partnerships I will be able to build, both inside UK and with other institutions. Since our research work is multidisciplinary, these relationships are critical to our success.”

Parsons has been working with Brent Seales’ team on the digital restoration of ancient artifacts, particularly focusing on the Herculaneum scrolls. As part of this research, he helps scan the scrolls using X-ray microtomography and then develops algorithms to analyze the resulting data in hopes of revealing hidden text. This will be one of the primary targets of Parson’s research under this fellowship.

Another NSF GRFP recipient James Tyler Nichols, currently the project lead on Kentucky Re-entry Universal Payload System (KRUPS) project, is excited about the autonomy the fellowship will afford him in the future. “This award is allowing me the opportunity to have freedom in my doctoral research. I will be able to forge my own path in research and learning while attaining my Ph.D.”

UK’s newest NSF fellows and the areas of research they will be pursuing are:

• Nadia Almasalkhi, a 2018 international studies and modern and classical languages, literatures and cultures/Arabic and Islamic studies graduate from Louisville, Kentucky, who will pursue research in sociology at University of California, Berkeley;
• James Tyler Nichols, a mechanical engineering graduate student from Taylorsville, Kentucky, who will pursue research in aerospace engineering at University of Colorado at Boulder;
• Stephen Parsons, a former Chellgren Fellow and current computer science doctoral student from Lexington, who will pursue research in robotics and computer vision at UK;
• UK Astronaut Scholar Esther Putman, a 2019 neuroscience and biology graduate, Lewis Honors College member and former Chellgren Fellow from Lexington, who will pursue research in bioengineering at University of Colorado at Boulder; and
• UK Goldwater Scholar Eura Shin, a 2019 computer science graduate and Lewis Honors College member from Morehead, Kentucky, who will pursue research in robotics and computer vision at Harvard University.

When asked how the fellowship would help, Almasalkhi said the award will fund research that is very personal to her, connecting her new California residence and her old Kentucky home.

“My research focuses on migration,” Almasalkhi said. “I was born in Louisville, but my parents had immigrated from Syria. I grew up with an acute awareness that my family was unique, and I felt a bond with others of immigrant background. Kentucky's vibrant immigrant community was ‘my’ community, even if our families came from different places. My experience of Kentucky has been very different from what most people outside the Commonwealth might expect, and that led me to be interested in the experiences of immigrants in 'unorthodox' destinations.

“For my current research project, I interviewed established members of the Syrian immigrant community in Louisville and in Los Angeles to compare and contrast how those two settings shape their civic and political engagement.”

Six other UK students received honorable mention recognition from the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. The other students recognized were:

• Pasama Cole-Kweli, an anthropology doctoral student from Chicago, Illinois;
• Hannah Dvorak, a 2020 chemical engineering graduate from Suamico, Wisconsin;
• Angela Jones, a 2020 biology and chemistry graduate, Lewis Honors College member and Chellgren Fellow from Attica, New York;
• Kyle Rawn, a doctoral student in psychology/developmental, social, and health from Knoxville, Tennessee;
• Rebecca Westwick, an entomology doctoral student from Austin, Texas; and
• Maya Woolfolk, a 2020 biology graduate, Lewis Honors College member and Chellgren Fellow from Prospect, Kentucky.

The NSF GRFP is the country’s oldest graduate fellowship program directly supporting graduate students since 1952. GRFP is a critical program in NSF's overall strategy to develop a globally engaged workforce necessary to ensure the nation's leadership in advancing science and engineering research and innovation. A hallmark of GRFP is its contribution to increasing the diversity of the STEM workforce, including geographic distribution, as well as the participation of women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities and veterans.

The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, part of the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence within the Division of Student and Academic Life, assists current UK undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni in applying for external scholarships and fellowships funded by sources (such as a nongovernment foundation or government agency) outside the university. These awards honor exceptional students across the nation. Students who are interested in these opportunities are encouraged to begin work with the office well in advance of the scholarship deadline. Staff is available for virtual appointments to discuss opportunities for the 2020-2021 academic year and beyond.