The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions.
As the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the GRFP has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers. The reputation of the GRFP follows recipients and often helps them become life-long leaders that contribute significantly to both scientific innovation and teaching.
Dara Weiss is a first year PhD student in the Kempa lab group within their nanoparticle subgroup. The overarching goal of her research is to study the hierarchical structure and growth mechanism of metallic (silver) halide nanoparticles. Using a laser system that she built with two of her fellow lab mates, Jungkil Kim and Tomojit Chowdhury, she is attempting to control the directionality of the silver phase growth in the nanoparticle system. If successful, her project will be the first step toward realizing a thermal metamaterial.
Tylar Clark-Winters is a first year PhD student in the Bragg lab group. Her research interests are in characterizing charge transfer interactions and dynamics using transient absorption spectroscopy. She has proposed strategies to probe and control charge transfer dynamics that mimic photosynthesis-relevant processes in self-assembled supramolecular materials.
Two more students were given honorable mentions for this award – Juan Chamorro and Lauren Bambarger. Juan is currently researching interesting electronic, magnetic, and optical materials with emphasis on topological materials. Lauren’s research includes antimicrobial resistance poses a significant threat to global health compelling discovery of novel antimicrobial targets. DXP synthase, an essential thiamine diphosphate dependent enzyme, is a potential antimicrobial target essential for biosynthesis of isoprenoids. In many pathogens, including bacteria and apicomplexan parasites, it is also essential for vitamin biosynthesis, including thiamin, and pyridoxal.
The chemistry department is very proud to have two of our stellar first year graduate students being awarded such a prestigious opportunity along with two other amazing students receiving honorable mentions! Congrats again everyone!