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National Science Foundation awards fellowships to five BYU students

Two additional students receive honorable mentions; seven alum also awarded fellowships

Two senior and three graduate students from Brigham Young University were awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. The fellowship is awarded to outstanding students pursuing research-based master’s degrees or doctorates in science, mathematics, engineering, physics, psychology and some fields of social science.

BYU student winners include:

  • William Cocke in Algebra, Number Theory and Combinatorics
  • Thomas Hardin in Metallic Materials
  • Ryan Hill in Economics
  • Jeremy Rehm in Organismal Biology
  • Kendrick Shepherd in Computational Science and Engineering

The fellowship provides each student with three years of financial support, including a $32,000 annual stipend; international research and professional development opportunities; and access to a supercomputer.

Two BYU seniors were given NSF fellowship honorable mentions: Samuel Dittmer and Kyle Pratt, who are both studying Algebra, Number Theory and Combinatorics.

In addition, seven BYU graduates, who now attend other institutions for graduate studies, were also awarded with NSF Graduate Research Fellowships:

  • Michael Barnett in Economics at the University of Chicago
  • David Eargle in Human Computer Interaction at the University of Pittsburgh
  • Wyatt Felt in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor
  • Chris Miller in Neurosciences at Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Anna Hawes in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University
  • Aaron Smith in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Texas at Austin
  • Chad Varner in Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Five BYU graduates, who now attend other institutions for graduate studies, were distinguished with NSF Graduate Research Fellowship honorable mentions:

  • Caitlin Askew in Neurosciences from the University of California-Irvine
  • Jeremiah Bejarano in Social Sciences Economics from the University of Chicago
  • John Hickey in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University
  • Matthew Nielsen in Chemistry Chemical Synthesis from Princeton University
  • Andrew Westover in Engineering Materials from Vanderbilt University

Writer: Brett Lee

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