NSF-GRFP 2021-22 Results

Five Iowa State University students received prestigious NSF-GRFP fellowships in the 2021-22 application cycle. This award recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students pursuing research degrees in STEM fields at accredited US institutions. Fellows share in the prestige and related opportunities in being selected to the National Science Foundation’s flagship program for graduate students. This includes a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance to cover tuition and related fees.

Samantha Allbee – Samantha graduated from Iowa State University with degrees in Animal Ecology and Biology in the Fall 2021 semester. She earned an NSF-GRFP fellowship to fund graduate studies at Pennsylvania State University in the Ecology program where she will research seed dispersal networks in Brazil with Dr. Tomás Carlo. Samantha says that she “became passionate about the importance of seed dispersal” while working for three years with Dr. Haldre Rogers at Iowa State. Samantha credits her work with Dr. Rogers whose “support and encouragement” initially led her to apply for the fellowship.

Roselynn Conrady – Roselynn is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering and Human Computer Interaction at Iowa State University. The NSF-GRFP award will provide her with additional resources “to pursue a transdisciplinary approach to her research.” Her work analyzes ways “to assist in mitigating the stress response of neurodiverse populations.” Roselynn’s goal as a researcher is “to allow direct, proactive involvement from underrepresented populations into novel research to foster innovative solutions to better serve individual communities and the state of Iowa as a whole.”

Jensina Davis – Jensina will graduate from Iowa State University in Spring 2022 with degrees in Agronomy and Seed Science. She has been an active member of the University Honors Program working as a First Year Honors Program leader and conducting research on corn for her capstone project. Her NSF-GRFP award will fund pursuit of a PhD in Complex Biosystems at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She elected to apply for the fellowship due to the “greater flexibility” it offered her in potential research projects.

Bella Guyll – Bella graduated from Iowa State University in Fall 2021 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. She made the decision to apply for an NSF-GRFP award due to “the freedom it gave me to pursue research opportunities without worrying about funding or other burdens.” The award will fund her studies in Iowa State’s Mechanical Engineering PhD program where she will continue her work with Dr. Cary Pint and Dr. Ethan Secor. Her research will focus on batteries and renewable energy.

Abigail Koep – Abigail is a PhD student studying chemical and biological engineering at Iowa State University. The NSF-GRFP fellowship will fund her research in Dr. Ian Schneider’s lab in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department. Her work “focuses on utilizing DNA origami as a biomaterial to make drug delivery vehicles with customizable release mechanisms.” Abigail’s research has important implications that “can help create targeted, non-invasive drug delivery systems for diseases like cancer, fibrosis, and many others.”