Student Profiles

Bobby Roberson
Electrical Engineering, 2011
Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART)

I applied for the SMART Scholarship during the fall of my freshman year after seeing it in an e-mail send by the College of Engineering. I applied because it looked like a great opportunity - SMART provides full tuition, living expenses, and post-graduate employment. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting to receive the award, but it was too good of an opportunity not to at least try. To my great surprise, I received an e-mail during the next spring informing me that I had received the scholarship. I was extremely honored and excited to receive the award. I am sponsored by the Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (AMSAA), at which I CO-OP and will work upon graduation. This award has enabled me to do many things I would have otherwise been unable to do, such as study abroad twice - with Drexel in Taiwan at Chung Yuan Christian University (2008) and with Drexel in Turkey at Bilkent University. I would strongly recommend anyone interested in applying for SMART to do so; see www.asee.org/smart for more information.
Jenell Smith
Material Science and Engineering PhD, 2013
NSF IGERT Fellowship, 2009-2010

In order to apply for the IGERT fellowship you also have to apply for at least one other national fellowship. I applied for both the NSF GRFP and NSF IGERT, both of which required personal statements. The GRFP was a bit more intense with the inclusion of the research proposal; however, preparation of the proposal greatly strengthens your writing skills and ability to form a research plan, both of which are important for graduate school. I recommend to everyone to apply for as many fellowships as possible to get the experience as well as increase your chances of receiving one.
Nasir Uddin
Mechanical Engineering, 2010
NRC/NIST Postdoctoral Research Associateship

The fellowship is awarded to the candidates who have less than five years of relevant research experience since receipt of their doctoral degree (Ph.D. candidate can apply but needs to complete the degree within 6 months of the award) from the prestigious NRC/NIST Postdoctoral Research Associateships Program (http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/rap/). The program provides two-year temporary appointments for outstanding scientists and engineers chosen through a national competition administered by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. MEM PhD student Nasir Uddin was recently awarded this fellowship.

Mr. Uddin is currently working on his dissertation titled “Atomistic modeling of carbon nanotube dispersion in solvent/surfactant/polymer systems” under his advisors Drs. Bakhtier Farouk and Franco Capaldi (MEM). He plans to graduate in winter and will start the fellowship in April 2010 where he will be working at NIST, in Gaithersburg, MD. Mr. Uddin came from Bangladesh after his BS degree and completed his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel and continued his study towards Ph.D. degree. After passing his Ph.D. candidacy exam, Mr. Uddin worked for a SBIR/STTR-based company, Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. as a R&D Engineer for about a year and half where he developed a computational transient heat transfer model and a fast-response thermal test-setup for hot gas impingement conditions observed by the jet engine exhaust for the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. He also contributed to develop a compressor driven two-phase refrigeration system (Hybrid Two-Phase Loops) for NASA JPL to be used for Lunar Lander. Mr. Uddin has also pursued his interest in teaching by serving as an adjunct faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering Department of York College of PA.
Brittany Preston
Chemical Engineering, 2013
Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship

When I was in high school I did summer internships with the Navy and when I came to college, I knew I wanted to continue to work with them. I loved the diverse projects I had opened to me as well as the opportunity to help the men and women who protect us. This scholarship pays for my tuition and a stipend, and guarantees a job after graduation with my DoD sponsoring facility. I applied as soon as I was eligible. They asked me for information about my grades, where I wanted to work, my past work experiences just like any other application. When I became a first round finalist they conducted a preliminary background check and a phone interview. A few weeks later I was accepted and helping them book my travel to Monterey, Ca for orientation. Before this program, I was concerned about paying for school and what the economy would be like after I graduated. Now I feel like a weight has been lifted and I can just focus on my school work.
Kevin Freedman
BS/MS Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D Mechanical Engineering, 2013
Drexel/UPENN NSF Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Fellowship

My adviser informed me of this fellowship as well as another graduate student who received this same fellowship last year. This particular fellowship funds students working on nanotechnology related projects which I began working on only just recently under MinJun Kim in Mechanical Engineering. Many of the other students who receive this fellowship are in Materials Engineering or a related field. Since this fellowship is strictly for Upenn and Drexel students, meetings, journal clubs, and other networking events are one of the advantages of this fellowship! The application process was fairly simple and if you have any questions, you can speak to the IGERT coordinator who is right on campus.
Andrew Chan
Materials Science and Engineering , 2009
Center for Powder Metallurgy Technology/Axel Madsen Conference Grant

I was nominated by the MATE department head, Dr. Zavaliangos. I needed to submit my CV, a short letter explaining why I should win the award, and some background on my senior design project. Dr. Zavaliangos helped me submit this information and several weeks later informed me that I was one of the successful recipients. Half of the grant paid for the conference registration as a student including meals while the other half was used to cover transportation and hotel costs. This year's conference was held at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas. It was a three day event with presentations along with vendor booths selling products. Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances I was unable to present my poster, but I did learn a lot about emerging innovations in the PM industry from the presentations I attended and the experience overall was very rewarding.
Brittani West
BS, Entertainment & Arts Management, Track- Digital Media, 2010
Society of the Sons of St. George Study Abroad Scholarship

I was accepted to study abroad through Arcadia University for fall 2009 semester. I chose to study at the University of Westminster in London, England. After being accepted into the program, I was contacted by the staff at Arcadia University telling me about a scholarship that is offered for students who live in PA who have English ancestry. I was not initially sure about having English ancestry so I contacted my grandmother who I know spends a lot of time researching our ancestral history. She told me that we do in fact have English ancestry and provided me with a short description of our English ancestors and how we were connected. I forwarded this information to Arcadia, and this, along with my transcripts, essay, and letters of recommendation convinced them to award me a scholarship to assist in my study abroad plans for the fall.
Jerome Mlack
BS, Physics, 2010
Society of Physics Students (SPS) Leadership Award

My name is Jerome Mlack and I am currently a physics major at Drexel University in my fourth year. In 2006 I helped to re-establish Drexel’s chapter of the Society of Physics Students and served as its first President for two years and as Vice President this past year. I have co-written proposals for the Marsh White Award and Sigma Pi Sigma Undergraduate Research Award, and was a Congress Reporter at the 2008 Sigma Pi Sigma Quadrennial Congress. As part of SPS and Drexel’s Low Temperature and Quantum Device Laboratory (LTQD) I have organized and performed physics demonstrations for over 1000 high school students during our physics department’s annual Kaczmarczik lecture. In the past I have done research internships at Penn State ARL, the Army Research Laboratory, and am currently at the Magnetism and Spin Electronics group at Trinity College Dublin. I have also been a member of the LTQD Laboratory at Drexel part time since my freshman year. There is nothing I enjoy more than tinkering in the lab and performing experiments, except for the occasional trips to hear the local jazz scene. After graduation in June of 2010 I plan to attend graduate school in physics and study in the field of quantum computation.  
Andrew DeVillier
BS/MS, Materials Science and Engineering, 2010
Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART)

 My dad told me about the SMART Program, which is a Department of Defense initiative to recruit students majoring in technical areas (math, science, and engineering). I was not sure how competitive of a program it was, but with fantastic awards including a full year of tuition, a stipend, and post-graduation employment, I could only imagine it was. The application process was relatively straightforward –filling out academic information, writing an essay, getting transcripts, and letters of recommendation. I was incredibly excited and honored to find out that I had been awarded a scholarship. My sponsoring agency is the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division and I will be working in Patuxent River, Maryland post-graduation. Working with the Navy will allow me to apply the knowledge of materials engineering I’ve learned here at Drexel in support of our servicemen and women.

I strongly encourage any Drexel students interested in applying for the SMART scholarship to visit www.asee.org/smart to find out more information about the program.  
Christopher Young
Business Administration with concentrations in Finance & Entrepreneurship, 2010
William G. McGowan Scholarship

  I have grown up inventing new things from the thousands of new Lego models I built to fit in my large city (the basement).  This creative thinking has continued to build in my academics and my career.  I am in the process of utilizing my creative skills and business know-how to introduce a new start-up of mine and become a true entrepreneur in practice.   

The opportunity was presented to me of a national scholarship, William G. McGowan Scholarship, for people wishing to pursue a start-up business or join a venture capitalist firm.   

The application process did include two essays: a personal essay and an essay describing the accomplishments and achievements of William G. McGowan. 
-  The personal essay is a very reflective essay on the skills I picked up throughout my academic career and consolidated them into a future outlook.  This process was not only helpful for the scholarship, but also served to be a reflection on my own life and where I want to end up with my start-up or career. 
-  The William G. McGowan essay is simply to research and understand the “movement” that McGowan initiated and how that affects the way we see telecommunications today. 
There are a few other supplementary materials that need to be submitted such as a résumé and a transcript.  This is a simple scholarship to apply for and also adds value to one’s own personal and career-oriented goals because it provides a personal reflection for future use.   
Amanda McArthur
BA, English, 2009
Fulbright ETA, 2009-2010 Bulgaria

During my assignment in Bulgaria, I will be teaching English to high school students at the German Language High School in Sofia. I will be teaching 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th graders at the intermediate-advanced level, while working alongside other Bulgarian teachers in tutoring students for the TOEFL and their high school exit exams. I will also have the time and opportunity to carry out my own research project, which will be fleshed out more once I arrive in Bulgaria, and which will hopefully contribute to a substantial body of work in creative writing.

I'm beyond excited to be spending this year teaching in Sofia. I still can't really believe I'm doing what I've wanted to do for years, but with the support and prestige of the Fulbright community. With the knowledge that such an experience will undoubtedly affect the way I look at the world and my life, I'm leaving immediate future plans open. Who knows where such an invaluable opportunity will take me!
Drexel University’s P3 team: Sarah Byrnes, Eric Eisele, Daniel Pugh, Courtney Reid, and Charlie Woods
Materials Science and Engineering, 2009
Environmental Protection Agency's People Prosperity Planet Award (EPA P3)
Awarded in April 2009 for an additional $75K funding for research

The P3 award competition encourages college students to apply technology in innovative ways to tackle global environmental challenges. The P3 Award competition was held at the EPA’s Annual National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., April 18-20. P3 designs must be economically profitable, which is why each winning team receives funding up to $75,000 to commercialize their designs.

Drexel P3 team’s cool roof coating project involves the development of a specialized coating capable of reflecting infrared and visible light from the sun to decrease energy usage in buildings and mitigate the urban heat island effect. They have been working on this project for about a year and it forms the basis of their Senior Engineering Design project. In the early stages of the project, the team applied for the EPA P3 Phase 1 grant and submitted the application in December 2007. The application included preliminary lab results, a research plan, budget, and timeline. In June 2008, the team was awarded the Phase 1 award for $10,000.
www.epa.gov/ncer/events/news/2009/04_21_09_feature.html
Kimberly DiGiovanni
BS/MS, Environmental Engineering 2008
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

Kim's research interests include ecohydrology, urban hydrology and low impact development technologies. As an undergrad, she participated in the STAR scholar program for undergraduate research, as well as Engineering Cities REU. Currently, Kim is pursuing a doctorate from Drexel's CoE in environmental engineering.
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Bill Hesse
BS, Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, 2009
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG), 2009-2012
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), 2012-2014

I am currently a senior in MEM and will be graduating with a B.S. in June 2009. I will be attending MIT to do my graduate work in Mechanical Engineering. At Drexel I have worked with Professor Howard Pearlman and most recently Professor MinJun Kim. My undergraduate research has largely consisted of developing ways to integrate bacterial flagella into micro- and nanostructured devices. Winning these fellowships has certainly allowed me to have more freedom with my future graduate work. They can help immensely if it turns out the adviser with whom you want to work does not have funding for another student in the upcoming year. My biggest tip for students thinking about applying for these fellowships is to start writing the essays early and to build a network of faculty and students who have been though the application process in the past. The knowledge I gained from these resources was invaluable, and definitely a major factor in receiving these awards.
Julianne Holloway
BS, Chemical Engineering 2008; Ph. D., Chemical Engineering, 2011
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG), 2009-2012
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), Honorable Mention

On April 3rd, the day I received the email stating that I won the NDSEG Fellowship, I shrieked in front of my entire lab group. It was amazing to receive such a prestigious award in recognition of the work that I have put into my eduction and research over the years. Additionally, the NDSEG Fellowship provides full tuition and a stipend that provides financial freedom in deciding your research direction. As a Ph. D. student, my research involves the development of a fiber-reinforced hydrogel for replacement fibrous cartilage applications. High modulus fiber-hydrogel composites that can mimic fibrous cartilage property distributions can be applied to a wide area of medical conditions that lack appropriate medical treatments. I want to continue developing composites for biomedical applications after graduation.
Prineha Narang
BS/Ph.D., Engineering
Deutscher Akademischer Austausch-Dienst (DAAD) Research Internships for Science & Engineering (RISE) Program

Drexel University BS/Ph.D. student Prineha Narang has been awarded a scholarship from the DAAD-RISE Research Internship (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch-Dienst Research Internships for Science & Engineering). Over 1200 students applied to 600 projects available through the DAAD-RISE program.

Prineha will spend up to three months of her Summer 2009 term at the Fraunhofer Institut in Bremen, Germany, working on a project to tailor carbon nanotube surfaces using plasma technology. This project will allow Prineha to build on the research experience she has had at Drexel, supervised by Prof. Yury Gogotsi, and in close collaboration with the Drexel Plasma Institute. The goal of her project is to optimize nanoscale corona discharge in liquids to enable plasma modification of carbon nanotubes and create unique nanostructures.
Alyssa Wilson
BS Physics 2009
Gates Cambridge Scholar
Goldwater Scholar
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), Honorable Mention

Winning the Gates was exhilarating. This award stood as my only means to finance an education at Cambridge, as well as a powerful source of support for my future endeavors in science outreach. I also believed that I met its criteria for showing the potential to become a productive scientist and leader, so I was really hoping to be granted one. That didn't, however, lessen my surprise and delight at being announced a winner. It meant a lot to me that the Gates Committee regarded my work as influential enough to warrant their endorsement. I'm very proud to have this scholarship, and extremely grateful for the opportunities it has afforded me.

The research that I have chosen to do as a Goldwater Scholar focuses on exploring atmospheric pressure microplasmas and their potential applications in sterilization and cleaning. I am very excited to be named a Goldwater Scholar, because this award will provide me with resources to do my work, which I enjoy and can result in direct improvements in the lives of others.
In addition to applying for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, I decided to apply for the NSF GRFP as a means to fund a graduate education in the United States. A scholarship like this would ensure that I was able to work on a project in atomic physics that I found interesting and potentially useful during my graduate studies. Although I didn't receive this scholarship, I am happy to have received an Honorable Mention, and when I return to the United States to finish my graduate studies, I intend on applying to the program again.
Bruce Pinchbeck & Dylan Steinberg
BS, Studies in Media Arts and Design, 2009
Finalists, MTVU Oscar Correspondent opportunity

Drexel University Music Industry students Bruce Pinchbeck and Dylan Steinberg remembered receiving information regarding the MTVU Oscar Correspondent opportunity from the Film & Video Department. The whole application process was online. They submitted a simple entry form and uploaded a 2 minute video. Although Bruce and Dylan were not winners they were chosen as finalists. Watch their submission video

Dylan Steinberg has studied Music Industry for the last 3 years with a heavy focus on film, and will graduate with a BS in Studies in Media Arts and Design in 2009. He's an actor, artist, and musician, and has enjoyed a great experience at Drexel University. He is starting his own production company (BucketFullofDreams.com) and looks forward to a future in the media design world.
Shirin Karsan
Industry Liaison at the A. J. Drexel Nanotechnology Institute
Master of Bioethics student at the University of Pennsylvania
Fulbright Scholar 2009-2010, United Arab Emirates
Critical Language Enhancement Award (CLEA)

Getting the Fulbright is truly an honor and a privilege, for which I am very grateful. Going through the application was a great learning process! It helped to revisit and clarify my own personal goals and to determine in what direction I want to steer my educational endeavors. I will be in the UAE for the academic year 2009/10 to conduct research in Bioethics, specifically on the Ethics of Emerging Sciences and Bio/Nanotechnologies. My research area will focus on Neuroscience and Neuroethics, as well as Assisted Reproductive Technologies, from a cultural and religious perspective.

I have also received the CLEA (Critical Language Enhancement Award) to study Arabic, which I will be doing concurrently, either in the UAE or in Jordan. It is very exciting to conduct research in an area where there is not much prior work done, and I look forward to the opportunity to create a new knowledge base. Although my application was submitted through University of Pennsylvania, I truly appreciated the support and encouragement Rona provided me in helping to manage what might otherwise be a rather daunting task.
Alexandra Johnson
BS, Psychology, 2008
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship

I am honored to receive the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation graduate scholars award. It's like being told I won a quarter of a million dollars--because that is what I would be paying to earn my doctorate without the scholarship! I will be starting grad school at LaSalle University this Fall (2008) to begin a 5 year doctoral program in clinical psychology.

My advice to someone else applying for the scholarship is to do your research. You can visit JKCF.ORG and learn more about how the scholarship was founded and why. You can also learn about the criteria required to apply and see if you are eligible. This is one of the most generous scholarships out there, but it is also highly competitive, so the key is to make sure you can write your application in a way that reflects the goals of the foundation.
Eunice Omanga
Doctor of Public Health, Community Health and Prevention, 2010
Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund, World Bank

I am one of nine women to receive the Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) Scholarship from the World Bank Family Network in 2008. This award goes to women from developing countries who are pursuing graduate studies in the US or Canada, especially for research that benefits women and children. At the award ceremony I was also designated the 2008 Sukriye Karaosmanoglu Fellow in recognition of my commitment to these goals.

I am currently working on my dissertation proposal, in which I will draw on my prior experience as an environmental chemist in the Kenyan sugar industry and environmental health research skills as well as my doctoral training in community health research to address a major gap in understanding and preventing environmentally-related health problems in my country.
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Liam Hendricken
BS – Architectural Engineering (Mechanical Concentration), MS – Building Systems Engineering
Microbial Risk Assessment of the Built Environment (MRABE) Fellowship under Department of Homeland Security

After leaving high school unsatisfied with the amount of effort I put into my schoolwork, I was motivated to try my best here at Drexel University. The first step in this process for me was enrolling in the BS/MS program. This led me to take AE 550, Indoor Air Quality. While taking this course, my advisor told me about the MRABE Fellowship. I was very interested in utilizing my engineering skills in combination with an understanding of statistics and medicine to apply them to a certification, the product of completing the fellowship. A requirement of the fellowship is to work in a DHS approved research facility for two Co-op terms. I currently work at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD, where I have begun research on Small Chamber testing, Volatile Organic Carbons (VOC's), and Methamphetamine Remediation processes among other things. As the requirement is to work in an approved facility for two Co-Op terms, I am required to stay an additional year at school. With the help and guidance of my advisor, the application process was fairly easy. I hope to leave Drexel in 2011 with a sense of satisfaction, knowing I put a lot of effort into my work in order to make a difference in the world.
Andrew Blakely
Biomedical Engineering BS, MD 2010
Fulbright Scholar 2008-2009, Spain

I applied for a Fulbright between my 2nd and 3rd year of medical school for several reasons. I had always wanted to go to Spain, I desperately wanted to improve my written and oral Spanish, I felt this was likely my last opportunity to do something like this, and I knew I needed a break before residency.

I decided on childhood obesity for my project, since it is both a huge public health issue and a topic that really interests me. Through the medical school Alumni Association, I lucked out a bit and was put in contact with a Spanish foreign Fulbright scholar working here in Philadelphia, who then put me in contact with another Spanish foreign Fulbright scholar working in Madrid, and thus I had my mentor. The application process was a bit grueling, since I went through several rewrites before meeting with the Drexel committee, and one final one afterwards.

The year flew by in retrospect, but it was an amazing time, and it was incredibly valuable, both personally and professionally. My Spanish has vastly improved, and I have a much deeper understanding of Spanish culture. The Spanish way of life at times is in stark contrast to the American way, but it is something to be appreciated. Through my project, I have made many professional contacts, and I have been able to branch out and work on several other projects within my host institution. I left many friends behind in the U.S., but I have made many friends here, both Spaniards and expatriates.

I have come to understand the meaning of an ‘enriching experience.’ I would never trade this year for anything.
Regina Cagle
BS, Environmental Engineering, 2008
Fulbright Scholar, 2008-2009, Ecuador

As a Fulbright Scholar in Ecuador, I'll be pursuing a Master's in Sustainable Energy Development at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, while also conducting field work investigating energy solutions for developing communities. Additionally, I'll be working with the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) and Engineers Without Borders while in Ecuador.

I'm excited about pursuing this opportunity since it will allow me to continue my technical studies, but also to investigate more closely how these tie into the daily needs of developing communities. This Fulbright experience will allow me to harness my engineering background for the benefit of those around me.
Paul Phelps
MD, Ophthalmology, 2010
Fulbright Scholar 2008-2009, India

My Fulbright Fellowship project will involve laboratory work with corneal epithelial stem cells and community outreach eye camps through the Aravind Eye Hospital, the largest and most productive eye care facility in the world.

It was wonderful to learn that I was awarded this opportunity spend nine months learning and living in India before I begin a career in Ophthalmology. I am very excited to begin this fundamental research that could improve the lives of patients in every corner of the globe.

You can read more about Paul’s Fulbright experiences at www.paulowenphelps.com
Erin Morton (alumna)
Rotary International
Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico
Sandra Deering
International/Middle East Area Studies, June 2009
National Security Education Program – Boren (NSEP), Jordan

Receiving the NSEP award was a bittersweet moment. I had recently learned I would have to start my active duty in the military instead of spending a year abroad in the Middle East and would not be able to accept the award. However, I was still very honored to receive such a prestigious award and learn that my hard work was indeed recognized. I will be certain to apply for the NSEP - Boren Fellowship when I attend Graduate School.
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Erica Hession
BS, LeBow School of Business, 2009
McGowan Scholarship

I was told about [the McGowan Scholarship] by Ian Sladen who recommended I apply for it. There wasn't much time left so I had to apply quickly and then cross my fingers. I was delighted to know I won because I have all of the last year's tuition covered by scholarships. I can now focus my energy toward paying off the loans I've taken out and also my after graduation plans. I plan on moving to Europe for as long as they'll let me stay.
Daniel Tedesco
International Area Studies
Freeman Asia

The Freeman-ASIA scholarship is a prestigious award given to students who study abroad in certain Asian countries. The application process is rigorous, and each recipient is required to complete a service project that promotes studying abroad in Asian countries upon their return. There is a substantial grant associated with the award to put towards the costs of studying abroad.
Latoya Stewart
International Area Studies, 2009
Institute for International Public Policy (IIPP)

Latoya is winner of the United Negro College Fund’s Institute for International Public Policy award, intended to increase representation of minorities in international affairs. The program involves language training, summer policy institute, study abroad, and two years of graduate program in international affairs.
Aaron Sakulich
BS/PhD, Materials Engineering 2009
J. William Fulbright grant to Morocco w/ Critical Language Enhancement Award (Moroccan Arabic)
September 2007 - 2008

I originally heard about the Fulbright grant after the department secretary forwarded everyone an email announcing that applications were being accepted. I thought the program sounded awesome, but that there was no chance of me getting one. My advisor said I should try anyway, I did, and I got the grant! I sept 3 months in Fes on my CLEA learning Moroccan Arabic, and it was absolutely fantastic - class was interesting, the people were friendly, and every day was an absolute pleasure. I then spent 9 months in Casablanca at the Universite Hassan II and, again, it was excellent. Something amazing happened every day,whether it was having to explain to people on trains that I'm American despite being able to speak a foreign language or having cab drivers invite me to diner because I used the phrase "Insha'allah." I recommend the Fulbright program, and Morocco, to anyone in the absolute highest terms possible. I'd do it again if I could.
David Delaine
PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2010
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

I am extremely fortunate and thankful to have received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. The fellowship has allowed me to continue my research without being constrained by finances and provides the freedom to pursue the research I choose.

The prestige of winning this award has opened many doors such as international collaboration, conference travel, and is very beneficial to those interested in a career in academia. I intend to leverage the fellowship to establish strong international ties to promote my career ambitions of providing sustainable power to remote and underdeveloped regions of the world and to positively impact science and engineering education abroad.
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Anna Fox
PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2010
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

I am a Ph.D. Candidate at Drexel University developing a real-time adaptable photomask for contact photolithography fabricated from holographically formed polymer dispersed liquid crystal thin films. Currently I research in holography technology and teach several undergraduate courses for the Electrical Engineering department at Drexel University. Research interests for the future include patterned materials, nanotechnology, and renewable energy solutions.

Earning a nationally competitive fellowship has enabled me to pursue more of my own research interests than what might have been possible otherwise. It has also allowed me to assume the role of course instructor for multiple undergraduate courses. I feel that having my research proposal be nationally recognized has prepared me to be competitive when I start to look for faculty jobs.
Holly McIlwee
BS/MS, Engineering, 2008
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

While at Drexel University, Holly has worked in the Natural Polymers and Photonics Laboratory under the direction of Professor Caroline Schauer (MSE). Her research involves creating novel sensors while incorporating thin films of biopolymer, chitosan, and gold nanoparticles to attract and detect the presence of toxic metal ions, such as mercury or lead in water. After graduation, Holly will be funded by NSF-International Research and Education in Engineering (IREE) to conduct research in France over the summer.
Alexander Moseson
BS in MEM, MS in MSE, 2007; MEM PhD, 2011
(Collaborating with Materials Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Science, Technology, & Society)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

My research and personal interests meet in the field of Appropriate Technology (AT), and more broadly, humanitarian development efforts. AT seeks solutions that help people help themselves; ideas, processes, and devices that alleviate suffering and/or increase productivity (and thus income) while being economically, socially, and environmentally appropriate. AT is an important part of humanitarian development, which includes many intermingled fields such as medicine, education, politics, business, and more.

My current research focus is on alkali-activated cement, which transforms iron blast furnace slag, an industrial waste, into environmentally friendly cement competitive in cost and performance with ordinary Portland Cement. Slag is available all over the world, including some developing countries. As part of the ongoing Lathes For Africa project, I spent 3 weeks in Tanzania with a Drexel team, helping to build wood-turning lathes of our design, out of scrap car parts. I am eternally grateful for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, which has opened many doors. The application process was challenging, with 30+ revisions over two attempts, but entirely worthwhile. For more, my website is available here.
John Chmiola
Materials Engineering
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

My thesis topic concerns using porous carbon obtained by chlorinating metal carbides as the active material electrochemical capacitors . Towards this end, I am probing the effects of carbon porosity, microstructure and surface chemistry on the performance of these energy storage devices.

As far as how winning the GFRP made me feel, certainly good. Any time people of intelligence recognize my achievements it is cause to smile. And of course, professionally the GRFP looks great on a CV and opens many doors for other awards and future opportunities.

I am currently a post doc at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab working in the Environmental Energy Technologies Division with Dr. John Kerr, Dr. Marca Doeff and Dr. Venkat Srinivasan developing novel energy storage devices. We are currently looking for systems that can provide the high power and high cyclability that carbon supercapacitors offer, but without their other major drawbacks, namely low energy density. It’s sort of a battery tour de force, with John Kerr having infinite wisdom of organic synthesis of redox polymers, polymer electrolytes and ionic liquids, Marca Doeff being the leading expert on metal oxide and phosphate intercalation compounds, specifically manganese-based, myself having the tiniest bit of knowledge about carbon supercapacitors from working on them for 5 or so years with Prof. Yury Gogotsi during my Ph.D. studies at Drexel, and Venkat Srinivasan stepping down from leading the Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies (BATT) program to get back into the lab and help with system development. Being in Berkeley is also affording me the opportunity to begin combining my formal education in science with public policy, and sociological and environmental groups looking to further help usher in social change, both here and abroad.
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Stephen Niezgoda
MSE PhD 2009
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT)
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG)

Stephen is a member of the Mechanics of Microstructures Group (MMG), led by Professor Surya Kalidindi (MSE). The MMG approach considers micro-scale structure in the development of new materials for particular applications. Stephen’s mathematical analysis of microstructure will take much of the guesswork out of material design. Stephen’s practical experience as an aircraft mechanic taught him how to analyze and solve problems and inspired him to learn more. Now, as a Ph.D. student, he is able to address the “why” questions. Stephen has published two papers in peer-reviewed journals, and has more in production. He is involved with several volunteer activities, including tutoring and mentoring undergraduate students, and designing and running a hands-on demonstration for the ASM Materials Camp. He plans to graduate in 2009 with his doctorate in MSE. Stephen has been funded by the NSF IGERT program for the past two years.
Daniel Lofaro
PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering in Robotics and Control Systems, 2011/2012
East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI), 2007-2008; National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), Honorable Mention, 2008-2009

Daniel Lofaro is a 5th year BS/MS student at Drexel studying Electrical Engineering in Control Systems. Daniel’s interest in the sciences and engineering began when he saw a racket ball shatter after being dipped in liquid nitrogen for the first time in second grade.

Daniel was awarded the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) Fellowship for academic year 2007-2008. He worked last summer as an NSF Fellow in Daejeon, South Korea at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Daniel worked side by side with the robot researchers that make the HUBO humanoid robot. The HUBO is a 4.5 foot tall humanoid robot that can walk, run and even climb stairs. Daniel is interested specifically in biped locomotion as it relates to animals that use tails as a method of balancing. He learned how to assemble, disassemble and maintain the HUBO while incorporating his own communications and control system into the existing HUBO design. In fall 2008, the Drexel Autonomous Systems lab procured a HUBO as a part of a NSF biped robotic research grant.
Adrienne Poon
Masters of Public Health, 2008
Kaiser Family Foundation Student Essay Contest, 2nd place winner
Alan Rosenfield Global Health Fellowship (Association of Schools of Public Health and Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

Adrienne is an Allan Rosenfield Global Health Fellow (a program of the Association of Schools of Public Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention). As a fellow, Adrienne is working in Beijing as a Global Program Management Fellow with the Global AIDS Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition, Adrienne also came in 2nd place in the 2008 Kaiser Family Foundation student essay contest, for an essay advising the presidential candidates on a multilevel approach to eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. Adrienne’s Kaiser essay can be read here: www.kaiseredu.org/essayprizes2008_poon.asp.
Erica Caden
Physics
Lindau, 2008-09
sponsored by Department of Energy
Jessica Schiffman
Materials Engineering
Lindau, 2008-09
sponsored by National Science Foundation
Kara Spiller
PhD, Biomedical Engineering, 2010
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), 2007-2010
NSF International Research Experiences (IRES) and Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Project (DDEP)

The NSF IRES & DDEP grant funds my trip to Shanghai this fall (3 months) to work in the Shanghai Key Tissue Engineering Laboratory under Yilin Cao and Wei Liu. The title of the project is "Engineering Smart Biomaterials for Cartilage Tissue Engineering: A Drexel University and Shanghai Jiao Tong Training Partnership." This project is the capstone study of my dissertation, the controlled release of growth factors from hydrogels to enhance articular cartilage repair.

In the Biomaterials and Drug Delivery Lab in the Chemical Engineering Department, I am designing a hydrogel to replace damaged cartilage in the knee. The material has appropriate mechanical properties to take over physiological loading, but is bioactive in order to encourage cellular ingrowth, resulting in a hybrid cartilage-biomaterial construct. I have examined how the properties of the material, such as porosity, stiffness, and degradability, affect the behavior of cells.

The NSF-GRFP has not only allowed me to take classes solely for the sake of learning and to attend conferences to cultivate collaborations, but has given me some credibility in the academic community. I'm very grateful to have received this fellowship, it took away a lot of the stress involved in getting a Ph.D.
Siddhartha Pathak
Materials Engineering, 2009
Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research (GIAR) grant, 2006 and 2007

The grant was awarded through an international level selection process. The GIAR program provides funding directly to the student for his research.

Recipient of the 2007 Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) user proposal grant at Los Alamos National Lab (LANL). A CINT user grant is awarded through a national level selection process. This grant allows free access to the state-of-the-art facilities at LANL in order to conduct research on the structure-property relationship in bone at the micron level. The dynamic mechanical properties of wet (fresh) bone samples were studied by nanoindentation at LANL (in collaboration with Dr. Greg Swadener).

Recipient of the 2005 SURA-ORNL (The Southeastern Universities Research Association - Oak Ridge National Lab) Summer Cooperative Research Program scholarship (an international level scholarship) to conduct study on the dynamic mechanical properties of solid oxide fuel cell components at ORNL, TN. This fellowship has now been discontinued due to budgetary issues.

Awarded the 2004 EMPA (Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Testing and Research) thesis grant (an international scholarship program)which allowed a 6 month stay at the Ceramics Lab, EMPA Dübendorf, Switzerland working on the room and high temperature mechanical properties of the components for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells.
Y. Lisa Chen
Architectural Engineering, Fall 2009-2010
GAANN Fellowship, 2005-2006
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), 2006-2009

My name is Lisa Chen, and I am a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering Department. Before my first year of studies began, my advisor encouraged me to apply for the GAANN Fellowship. It would provide my first year of funding as well as provide courses in teaching. Since I have a strong interest in teaching, I found this fellowship to be very fitting. The application included an essay and letters of recommendation.

Through the fellowship, I met other GAANN fellows at Drexel and learned successful techniques in teaching. The experience will definitely help me this summer as I teach my first course! After I completed the one-year term of the GAANN fellowship, I applied for the three-year NSF GFRP fellowship. The application included three essays (a personal statement, statement of research plans, and previous research experience). Letters of recommendation were also required. Careful attention had to be paid to the contents/outline of each essay, as NSF lays clear guidelines and has a rigorous review process. As a recipient of an NSF fellowship, I have been able to have more freedom in my research, travel to both domestic and international conferences, and share experiences with other NSF fellows at Drexel. Both application processes taught me how to write in a concise, organized, and informative manner. These skills have carried both into my technical writing and presentation skills. I am thankful to have been a recipient of both awards in my PhD career.
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