Five VINSE/IMS students awarded prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowships and Honorable Mention
Three engineering graduate students in the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering/Interdisciplinary Materials Science program are 2024 recipients of the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports students who are pursuing full-time, research-based graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering or math. Recipients receive financial support for their education and an annual stipend to support their research and career endeavors.
The three engineering graduate student winners are:
- Thiago Arnaud, (incoming) Interdisciplinary Materials Science, 2022 VINSE REU
- Soren Smail, Interdisciplinary Materials Science
- Harrison Walker, Interdisciplinary Materials Science
Each of those fellowships provides three years of financial support inclusive of an annual stipend of $37,000 along with a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance for tuition and fees, as well as access to opportunities for professional development available to NSF-supported graduates students. It is one of the most prestigious awards for graduate students, with about 16% of applicants awarded each year.
The NSF accords Honorable Mention to meritorious applicants who do not receive Fellowship offers. This is considered a significant national academic achievement.
The Honorable Mention is given to:
- Owen Meilander: Interdisciplinary Materials Science
- Matthew Vasuta: Interdisciplinary Materials Science
Begun in 1952, this fellowship program is the oldest and most prestigious of its kind; 42 recipients have gone on to become Nobel laureates, and more than 450 have become members of the National Academy of Sciences.