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NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Awarded to 14 College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences Students

/ 30 March 2016 /

Fourteen current and incoming students and recent alumni of the University of Maryland College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) have received prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships, which recognize outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

Thirty-four UMD students were among the 2,000 fellowship winners announced by NSF. Of those, 14 hailed from CMNS, including one current graduate student, one incoming graduate student, one current undergraduate student and 11 alumni who received bachelor’s degrees in CMNS majors.

“We are very proud of the exceptional achievements of our students and are delighted that 14 received prestigious NSF graduate research fellowship awards this year,” said CMNS Dean Jayanth Banavar.

CMNS graduate student fellowship recipients:

CMNS undergraduate student fellowship recipient:

CMNS alumni fellowship recipients:

  • Abigail Ahlert (B.S. ’15, atmospheric and oceanic science), graduate institution: University of Colorado Boulder
  • Brenna Hodges (B.S. ’15, chemistry with a minor in statistics), graduate institution: Yale
  • Geoffrey Ji (B.S. ’15, physics, mathematics and computer science with an additional major in economics), graduate institution: Harvard University
  • Christine Moomau (B.S. ’14, biological sciences specializing in cell biology and genetics), graduate institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Lamont Nelson (B.S. ’06, computer science), graduate institution: New York University
  • Alison Post (B.S. ’14, biological sciences specializing in ecology and evolution), graduate institution: Colorado State University
  • Talia Ringer (B.S. ’12, mathematics and computer science), graduate institution: University of Washington
  • Mary Same (B.S. ’14, mathematics and biological sciences specializing in cell biology and genetics with a minor in Spanish language and culture), graduate institution: University of Southern California
  • April Simmons (B.S. ’97, computer science), graduate institution: Georgia Tech
  • Kevin Stubbs (B.S. ’15, mathematics and computer engineering), graduate institution: Duke University
  • Jonathon Zytnick (B.S. ’08, mathematics; B.A. ’08, economics), graduate institution: Columbia University

NSF fellows receive three years of support from the agency, including a $34,000 annual stipend, a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance to the institution, international research and professional development opportunities, and access to a supercomputer.

The NSF received more than 17,000 applications for the 2016 competition and made 2,000 fellowship award offers. The students awarded graduate research fellowships are a diverse group of individuals. Among the awardees, 1,077 are women, 424 are from underrepresented minority groups, 62 are persons with disabilities and 35 are veterans.

"The Graduate Research Fellowship Program is a vital part of our efforts to foster and promote excellence in U.S. science, technology, engineering and mathematics by recognizing talent broadly from across the nation," said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, NSF assistant director for Education and Human Resources. "These awards are provided to individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements, and they are investments that will help propel this country's future innovations and economic growth."

Media Relations Contact: Abby Robinson, 301-405-5845, abbyr@umd.edu

University of Maryland
College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
2300 Symons Hall
College Park, MD 20742
www.cmns.umd.edu
@UMDscience

About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 7,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and more than a dozen interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $150 million.

About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 10,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and nine interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $250 million.