DREXEL FELLOWSHIPS OFFICE
ANNUAL REPORT 2012 - 2013
TOP STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENTS:
- 7 Fulbright Scholars
- 4 Goldwater Scholars
- 8 Whitaker Awards
- 4 DAAD RISE Recipients
- Boren Scholar to Russia
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4 | Award Highlights
10 | Award Recipients
16 | Fellowships Office
”
Prior to my application I had never
put much thought into how I got to
where I am or where I am going.
Now I have focus in life and a real
plan for where I am going after
graduation.
”
Fellowships applicants had the pleasure of meeting with President Fry, Provost Greenberg, and Pennoni Honors College Dean Dave
Jones in January. President Fry listened carefully as students talked about their research interests. He expressed appreciation for the
students’ passion and drive, suggested connections to other work happening around the University, and even welcomed suggestions
for how Drexel could encourage more students to pursue these high-level opportunities.
2
LETTER FROM THE DEAN
The Pennoni Honors College is proud to house the Drexel
Fellowships Office. Its mission, to foster competitive student
applications to nationally competitive awards, is consistent with
that of the Honors College, which is to serve Drexel’s most
accomplished, talented, and ambitious students. The Fellowships
Office does that across the entire University, and we have been
delighted to support their success in recent years. This success
is most noticeable in the dramatic increase in the number of
prestigious fellowships students have won in recent years.
This year, for example, seven students - a University
record - won Fulbrights for foreign research, study or teaching.
Beyond the awards themselves, the University’s success with
fellowships in recent years has changed an aspect of Drexel’s
student culture. Students who apply but don’t receive a fellowship
learn much about themselves during the process, in some cases
enabling them to win in the following year. Even students who don’t apply for fellowships are proud to belong
to a student body that has proved its competitiveness in the arena of nationally prestigious fellowships.
The Fellowships Office owes its success to many people. Director Rona Buchalter and her Assistant Director
Cindy Schaarschmidt have been both creative and tireless in the efforts to promote the possibility of winning
fellowships. They have done a superb job of organizing processes that yield competitive applications. Scores
of Drexel faculty and staff contribute their time to serve on fellowship committees, coach students
preparing for interviews, and help with the writing. Devoted mentoring by faculty in students’ major
studies have helped bring students to the point where they are competitive academically with students
in other great schools. And various other Drexel programs, such as Cooperative Education, Study
Abroad, and STAR, have contributed to enriching students’ skills, experience, and qualifications.
Congratulations are thus in order not only to the Fellowships Office but also to many
individual faculty and staff, and indeed the University as a whole.
Dave Jones
Dean, Pennoni Honors College
Drexel Fellowships Office Staff
OUR MISSION
Rona Buchalter, PhD
Director
Cindy Schaarschmidt, MA
Assistant Director
The Drexel Fellowships Office supports students across the University in their applications for
competitive national and international fellowships. We raise campus-wide awareness of opportunities
and directly help students create strong applications through intensive individual advising and support.
3
AWARD HIGHLIGHTS
A New Fulbright Record
Seven Drexel students were offered grants from the Fulbright US Student Program for
2013-14, the most in Drexel history. These student scholars will spend the coming
year pursuing an international study, research or teaching project.
Adefolaseyi (Seyi) Aderotoye | DUCOM, MD ‘15 | Nigeria
Seyi’s project aims to determine the cultural and socioeconomic influence on pain
management for sickle cell disease (SCD) patients in Nigeria. Of Nigerian descent
herself, Seyi plans to use her Fulbright experience to bring together Western and
African understandings of sickle cell treatments. After her Fulbright year, she will
return to Drexel to continue her medical training.
Liesl Driver | Global & International Education, MS ‘14 | Brazil English Teaching Asst.
With her special interest in indigenous languages and populations, Liesl looks forward
to working as an English language teaching assistant in the culturally rich and diverse
country of Brazil. She is also interested in teaching English to local businesspeople and
artisans who are preserving their local culture in a global society.
Lauren Forbes | Public Health, MPH ‘13 | Ethiopia
Lauren will be working with the Ethiopian Public Health Association on a project to
improve reproductive health services for adolescents in the Amhara region of Ethiopia.
She will be investigating youth opinions on reproductive health issues and related
cultural factors (PI: Suruchi Sood).
4
Elizabeth (Liesbet) Manders | Creative Arts Therapies, PhD ‘14 | Germany
Liesbet will be joining a study on autism in Heidelberg, Germany. She plans to investigate if participants in dance/movement therapy can learn to coordinate their body
movement with a partner and if this coordination improves their social interactions
(PI: Sharon Goodill).
Nicholaus Meyers | Mechanical Engineering, Honors, BS/MS ‘13 | Germany
Nick will be working on a project to characterize and compare the mechanical properties
of fracture fixation devices at the University of Ulm, with the hope that such work results
in better outcomes for those who suffer bone fractures. After his Fulbright research, Nick
plans to return to Drexel for his PhD (PI: Sorin Siegler).
Nathan Taylor | Mechanical Engineering, PhD ‘15 | South Korea
Working with scientists at Kwangwoon University, Nate will explore methods of
using electrical plasma discharge to treat polluted water, especially water that has
been contaminated by fuel extraction. After his Fulbright research, he will return
to Drexel to complete his PhD. (PI: Young Cho & Alexander Fridman).
Sarah Lightfoot Vidal | Materials Science and Engineering, BS/MS ‘13 | Chile
Sarah will be conducting research on developing a polymer blend of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) for use in the medical field. She will be working at Chile’s Center for
the Study of Advanced Polymers (CIPA) and in conjunction with the Polymers
department at the Universidad de Concepción (PI: Michele Marcolongo).
A program of the US State Department, the Fulbright program supports international exchange of students
and scholars with the goal of furthering mutual understanding between the US and nations of the world.
5
Four Drexel Goldwater Scholars
Huge congratulations to Drexel’s four 2013 Goldwater Scholars. Not only is this a
first for Drexel, it is rare for any university to have all four of their Goldwater nominees
receive the award. We are thrilled for these students and couldn’t be prouder of
their accomplishments.
Rishon Benjamin | Chemical
Engineering, Honors ‘15
Rishon is investigating
development of high-efficiency
polymer electrolytes for use in
fuel cells, with an eye toward
making such innovations both
clean and cheap enough to
be practical. Rishon was also
a STAR student in Dr. Yossef
Elabd’s lab (PI: Yossef Elabd).
Alex Sevit | Biomedical
Engineering, Honors ‘15
Alex became interested in
biomedical research during
his co-op, when he helped
characterize the biodegradation
of pacemaker leads. He is
interested in biomaterials
research with human organs.
(PI: Steven Kurtz).
Emily Buck | Materials
Science & Engineering,
Honors ‘14
Emily is working on using
electrospun polymer nanofibers
for water filtration, with an eye
to global contaminants. Emily
started research with Prof.
Schauer as a STAR Scholar.
(PI: Caroline Schauer).
Andrew Zigerelli |
Mathematics, Honors ‘15
Andrew is interested in
computational mathematics
and would like to work on
developing models that can
effectively represent and manage
complex scientific data. He
would like to research and teach
at a University (PI: Thomas Yu).
The Goldwater Scholarship was established by Congress in 1986, with the goal of recognizing the nation’s
top undergraduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields. The purpose of the Foundation is to
provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding
scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields.
6
Whitaker Fellowship and Undergraduate Scholarship
A record-breaking eight Drexel students received grants from the Whitaker
International Program this year. They are each embarking on exciting biomedical
research and study projects in Europe, Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Nicholas DiStasio
(Biomedical Engineering, BS ‘13)
Nick will be conducting biomaterials research on muscle satellite cells
at the Grenoble Institute of Technology, France under the supervision of
Dr. Catherine Picart.
Kevin Freedman
(Chemical & Biological
Engineering) Kevin is a 3rd year
doctoral student with research
focusing on nanopores for
biophysics applications. He is
headed to the Imperial College
in London, UK for his Whitaker
Scholarship, where he will continue
his research in this area. (PI: MinJun
Kim)
Claudia Gutierrez
(Biomedical Engineering,
BS/MS ‘15, Honors) Claudia is
working as a research assistant to
Dr. Melody Swartz in the Lymphatic
and Cancer Bioengineering
Laboratory at the internationallyrecognized Ecole Polytechnique
Fédéral de Lausanne.
Josa Hanzlik
(Biomedical Engineering,
PhD program) Josa will be working
with researchers of The Orthopaedic
Research Laboratory, Netherlands,
to create mathematical models
determining the factors that increase
the amount of bone ingrowth into
porous implants (PI: Steven Kurtz).
Ivy Koberlein
(Biomedical Engineering,
BS ‘16, Honors) Ivy is headed to The
Gambia in September and will be
working on a solar suitcase and vaccine refrigeration project through
Power Up Gambia. She is involved
with Engineers Without Borders at
Drexel and in the future would like
to develop affordable and comfortable prosthetic devices.
Alex Sevit
(Biomedical Engineering,
BS/MS ’15, Honors) Alex will be
spending the fall term abroad at
Denmark Technical University
in Lyngby, Denmark. He is
excited to learn more about the
microbiological research at DTU’s
Systems Biology department (PI:
Steven Kurtz).
Claire (Martin) Witherel
(Biomedical Engineering,
BS/MS ‘13) She will be conducting
biomaterials research with Dr.
Ardeshir Bayat at the University
of Manchester, UK, looking at
the immunomodulatory role of
microphages in wound healing
(PI: Kara Spiller).
Tony Yu
(Biomedical Engineering,
BS/MS ’14) Tony will be conducting
part of his Master’s research in
biomaterials with the Shanghai Key
Tissue Engineering Laboratory
at Shanghai Jiao Tong University
(SJTU) under the mentorship of
Drs. Yilin Cao and Wei Liu (PI:
Kara Spiller).
The Whitaker International Program sends U.S. biomedical engineering students and graduates overseas to
undertake a self-designed project that will enhance their careers within the field. Along with supporting grant
projects in an academic setting, the Whitaker International Program encourages grantees to engage in policy
work and propose projects in an industry setting.
7
Lindau Award
Kristy Jost has received the Lindau Award to attend this year’s
annual meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany.
Kristy Jost, a PhD candidate in Materials Science and Engineering,
conducts research on smart textiles, and more specifically wearable
energy storage. The goal of her research is to provide non-toxic,
flexible power to various electronic components embedded in
clothing. She completed her Bachelors of Science in Fashion Design
at Drexel’s College of Media Arts and Design and transitioned to
Materials Science after completing research on smart textiles as an
undergraduate. Kristy was previously awarded the DoD-NDSEG
Fellowship and the NSF-GRFP (which she declined)
(PI: Yuri Gogotsi).
Fulbright Young Scholar Heads to Brazil
David Delaine | Electrical & Computer Engineering,
Post-Doctoral | Brazil
Recent PhD David Delaine has been awarded a Fulbright Young
Scholar Award for post doctoral research at the University of Sao
Paolo, Brazil. He is working on ways to help young people learn
about math and science by incorporating STEM education in K-12
schools in Sao Paulo.
David is no stranger to fellowships. He came to Drexel as a
National Science Foundation Bridge to the Doctorate Fellow,
which he followed up with an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
(GRFP) to support the rest of his graduate study. He has long been
interested in international science education, and we are delighted
that he has the opportunity to follow his dream in Brazil.
”
I was blown away by your support during the Goldwater
application process...From the tiered application process to the
review committee, every step progressed in a logical way that
faciliated by application writing, But most inspiring was your
personal dedication... which kept me assuredly on the right track.
8
”
”
Without the Fellowships Office, I am 100% certain that I
would have no chance at all to win a Fellowship. Now the
chance seems within grasp. This is a wonderful program.
”
Sherman Lai on the Value of His Fulbright Application Experience
Sherman Lai | Architecture, BArch ‘13
This past Fall, Sherman applied for a Fulbright Student Scholarship to
Singapore to study how integrated resorts impact the built environment.
While Sherman was not selected for Fulbright, he credits much of his
later success to the rigorous fellowship application process. Lai feels
that the effort he put into meticulously working on the application,
including creating a portfolio to demonstrate his work in the best possible
light, were significant in his landing a full time position at studioMUSarx,
a design studio specializing in museum planning, architecture and
exhibit design.
Sherman’s advice to future fellowship applicants? Utilize your resources
and ask others to assist in reading and revising your work. He says to
start early, to be persistent and to not give up hope if you don’t receive
a Fulbright the first time around. With his additional professional
experience, Sherman plans to reapply to Fulbright this year.
If at First You Don’t Succeed...
Josa Hanzlik | Biomedical Engineering, PhD ‘13 | Netherlands
We know it takes determination and persistence to be successful, but
sometimes a student reminds us of this in a particularly powerful way
Josa Hanzlik (Biomedical Engineering PhD candidate) is one of those
students. Two years ago, Josa decided she wanted to conduct
research at an orthopedic research lab in the Netherlands as part of her
dissertation. She put enormous effort into applying to both the Fulbright
and the Whitaker Scholarships. Alas, she (and we) were disappointed
when she didn’t get either award (though she was named an Alternate
for Fulbright, a significant achievement in itself).
Undaunted, Josa came back to us the following year and did it all over
again with a clearer focus and renewed determination. She worked hard
to revise her applications so that her personal and professional goals
really shone through. Her persistence paid off when she learned that she
got the Whitaker this year! Josa will spend the coming
year in the Netherlands, developing mathematical models that show
how orthopedic implants wear in the body.
9
NATIONAL AWARD HONOREES | 2012-2013
Name
Department
PI / Advisor
Award
Adefolayesi Aderotoye
Medicine
--
Fulbright Student Scholarship (Nigeria)
Steffanie Altman
International Area Studies
--
Fulbright Student Scholarship (Spain) - Finalist
Steffanie Altman
International Area Studies
--
Erasmus Mundus - Wait List
Rishon Benjamin
Chemical Engineering
Yossef Elabd
Goldwater Scholarship
Laura Bianchi
Design & Merchandising
Joe Hancock
National Retail Federation (NRF) Ray M. Greenly
Scholarship
Nathaniel Bridges
Biomedical Engineering
Karen Moxon
DoD Science, Mathematics & Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship- Finalist
Danielle Brief
Design & Merchandising
Joe Hancock
National Retail Federation (NRF) Ray M. Greenly
Scholarship
Kathryn Brown
Law
--
Independence Foundation Public Interest Law Fellowship
Emily Buck
Materials Science &
Engineering
Caroline Schauer
Goldwater Scholarship
Wajeeha Choudhary
Communication, Culture
& Media
Rachel Reynolds
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable
Mention
Toutia Dayoush
Environmental Science
--
Erasmus Mundus- Wait List
Zupenda Davis
Community Health &
Prevention
Lisa Ulmer, Augusta
Villanueva
Directors of Health Promotion & Education, Health
Promotion Policy Fellowship
David Delaine
Electrical Engineering
Adam Fontecchio
Fulbright Young Scholar (Brazil)
Robert Devlin
Materials Science &
Engineering
Steven May
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable
Mention
Nicholas DiStasio
Biomedical Engineering
--
Whitaker Undergraduate Scholarship (France)
Liesl Driver
Global & International
Education
--
Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (Brazil)
Lauren Finn
Public Health
Alison Evans
CDC/CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellowship
Daniel Fitzgerald
Environmental Science
Alumnus
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Honorable Mention
10
Name
Department
PI / Advisor
Award
Lauren Forbes
Community Health &
Prevention
Suruchi Sood, Shannon
Marquez
Fulbright Student Scholarship (Ethiopia)
Kevin Freedman
Chemical & Biological
Engineering
MinJun Kim
Whitaker Scholar (UK)
James Goodman
Biomedical Engineering
Karen Moxon
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable
Mention
Claudia Gutierrez
Biomedical Engineering
--
Whitaker Undergraduate Scholarship (Switzerland)
Josa Hanzlik
Biomedical Engineering
Steven Kurtz
Whitaker Fellow (Netherlands)
Josa Hanzlik
Biomedical Engineering
Steven Kurtz
Fulbright Student Scholarship (Netherlands) Finalist
Matthew Hartshorne
Materials Science &
Engineering
Mitra Taheri
DoD Science, Mathematics & Research for
Transformation (SMART) Scholarship- Finalist
Zhengyang He
Mathematics
--
DAAD Research Internship for Science & Engineering
(RISE) (Germany)
William Hilton
Electrical Engineering
Youngmoo Kim
NSF East Asia & Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI)
(South Korea)
Jonathan Hubler
Civil Engineering
Alumnus
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Jordan Jobs
Information Systems
Prudence Dalrymple
DAAD Research Internships for Science & Engineering
(RISE)
Kristy Jost
Materials Science &
Engineering
Yury Gogotsi
Lindau Award (Germany)
Adrienne Juarascio
Psychology
Evan Forman
American Psychological Foundation, Theodore Blau
Early Career Award
Arvind Kalidindi
Mechanical Engineering
E. Caglan Kumbur
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Aleksander Kecojevic
Community Health &
Prevention
Stephen Lankenau
NIH Drug Abuse Dissertation Research Award (R36)
Amelia Kermis
Public Health
Michael Yudell, Augusta
Villanueva
Presidential Management Fellowship - Finalist
Yasin Khan
Public Health
--
Critical Language Scholarship for Urdu- Alternate
Paul Kim
Mechanical Engineering
MinJun Kim
NSF East Asia & Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI)
(South Korea)
11
NATIONAL AWARD HONOREES | 2012-2013
Name
Department
PI / Advisor
Award
Lindsey Klinge
Chemistry
Peter DeCarlo
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship ProgramHonorable Mention
Kailey Kluge
International Area Studies
--
Boren Scholarship (Russia)
Ivy Koberlein
Biomedical Engineering
--
Whitaker Undergraduate Scholarship (The Gambia)
Sarah Lightfoot Vidal
Materials Science &
Engineering
Michele Marcolongo
Fulbright Student Scholarship (Chile)
Yu Lin
Electrical Engineering
--
Gilman Study Abroad Scholarship (Japan)
Elizabeth Manders
Creative Arts Therapies
Sharon Goodill
Fulbright Student Scholarship (Germany)
Elizabeth Manders
Creative Arts Therapies
Sharon Goodill
DAAD Research Grant (Germany) Declined.
Matthew McBride
Chemistry
Jean-Claude Bradley
Amgen Scholar
Matthew McBride
Chemistry
Jean-Claude Bradley
DAAD Research Internships for Science & Engineering
(RISE) (Germany) Declined.
Nicholaus Meyers
Mechanical Engineering
Sorin Siegler
Fulbright Student Scholarship (Germany)
Sean Miller
Biology
Aleister Saunders
Fulbright Student Scholarship (Sweden) Alternate
Alice Nguyen
Business Administration
--
Gilman Study Abroad Scholarship (South Korea)
Phuong Nguyen
Mechanical Engineering
--
Gilman Study Abroad Scholarship (Denmark)
Elias Okwara
International Area Studies
Theodoros Katerinakis
Carnegie Junior Fellows Program- Finalist
Madhur Parihar
Biomedical Engineering
Dali Ma
DAAD Research Internships for Science & Engineering
(RISE) Professional (Germany)
Amanda Pentecost
Materials Science &
Engineering
Yury Gogotsi
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Adams Rackes
Architectural Engineering
Michael Waring
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Honorable Mention
Sokvanna Seng
Digital Media
Troy W. Finamore
Gilman Study Abroad Scholarship (Japan)
12
Name
Department
PI / Advisor
Award
Alex Sevit
Biomedical Engineering
Steven Kurtz
Gilman Study Abroad Scholarship (Denmark)
Declined.
Alex Sevit
Biomedical Engineering
Steven Kurtz
Goldwater Scholarship
Alex Sevit
Biomedical Engineering
Steven Kurtz
Whitaker Undergraduate Scholarship (Denmark)
Arpit Shah
Biomedical Engineering
Adrian Shieh
DoD Science, Mathematics & Research for
Transformation (SMART) Scholarship- Finalist
Derrick Smith
Materials Science &
Engineering
Christopher Li
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Hunter Snyder
Film & Video
Alumnus
Fulbright Student Scholarship (Denmark) Finalist
Jack Stucker
Law
--
Independence Foundation Public Interest Law Fellowship
Nathan Taylor
Mechanical Engineering
Young Cho, Alexander
Fridman
Fulbright Student Scholarship (South Korea)
Mina Thomas
Law
--
Presidential Management Fellowship - Finalist
Richard Vallett
Mechanical Engineering
Paul Oh
NSF East Asia & Pacific Summer Institute (South
Korea)
Khoa Van
Chemical Engineering
Jason Baxter
DAAD Research Internships for Science & Engineering
(RISE) Professional (Germany)
Kristyn Voegele
Biological Sciences
Kenneth Lacovara
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Mickey Whitzer
Mechanical Engineering
Alumnus
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Claire Martin Witherel
Biomedical Engineering
Kara Spiller
Whitaker Fellow (UK)
Tony Yu
Biomedical Engineering
Kara Spiller
Whitaker Undergraduate Scholarship (China)
Andrew Zigerelli
Mathematics
Thomas Yu
Goldwater Scholarship
Ziyad Ziyadzade
International Area Studies
--
Carnegie Junior Fellows Program - Finalist
Congratulations to all recipients & honorees!
13
DAAD Research Internships in Science & Engineering
Four Drexel students will spend their summers conducting research internships
through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Research Internships for
Science & Engineering (RISE) Program. Congratulations and good luck in Germany.
Zhengyang He | Mathematics, BS, 2014, Honors
Zhengyang will be participating in a project entitled “Evolution of Human Cooperation based on
Reputation and Social Networks” at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.
Jordan Jobs | Information Systems, BS, 2016, Honors
Jordan will be going to the Technical University of Dortmund. She will be working at the University’s Communication Technology Institute on a home network convergence project
(PI: Prudence Dalrymple).
Madhur Parihar | Biomedical Engineering, MS, 2014
Madhur will be working on biomedical signals at the Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs research
center in Stuttgart, Germany with the RISE Pro (PI: Dali Ma).
Khoa Van | Chemical Engineering, MS, 2014
Khoa will be working on corrosion mechanisms using electrochemical techniques at Bosch in
Schwieberdingen in Southern Germany (PI: Jason Baxter).
Boren Scholar
Kailey Kluge | International Area Studies, BA ’15, Honors | Russia
Kailey received the prestigious Boren Scholarship for study in St. Petersburg, Russia. Kailey has
been studying Russian since her first term at Drexel and is planning to spend the entire academic year
2013-14 in Russia. Following her language intensive study program, she plans to co-op at an NGO
or international exchange organization in Moscow. After graduation, she plans to work in the federal
government to fulfill the service requirement of the Boren Scholarship.
The Boren Awards, established by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), provide funding
for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study the languages and cultures of Africa, Asia, Central
& Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The program is designed to build the
international and linguistic skills of US citizens, especially those going into federal government service.
14
Six Drexel Students & Alumni Receive
NSF Graduate Research Fellowships (GRFP)
NSF GRFP 2013 Recipients
(Pictured left to right)
Jonathan Hubler | Civil Engineering, BS/MS ‘12, Honors
Jonathan graduated from Drexel in 2012 and is now a first year PhD student in Civil Engineering at the University
of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he is researching the response of soils to earthquake events.
Arvind Kalidindi | Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, BS ‘13, Honors
Arvind has been conducting research on polymer electrolyte fuel cells. After graduation, he is headed to MIT, where
he will begin a PhD program in Materials Science and Engineering (PI: E. Caglan Kumbur).
Amanda Pentecost | Materials Science and Engineering, BS/PhD program, Honors
Amanda has been an active member of the Nanomaterials Group since 2008, researching nanoparticle-platform drug
delivery systems (PI: Yuri Gogotsi).
Derrick Smith | Materials Science and Engineering PhD program
Derrick has been studying polymer electrolyte membranes for rechargeable battery and fuel cell applications
(PI: Christopher Li).
Kristyn Voegele | Biological Sciences, PhD program
Kristyn is interested in Paleontology and is working on reconstructing muscles in MPM-PV-1156, a new giant
titanosaurian sauropod (PI: Kenneth Lacovara).
Mickey Whitzer | Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, BS ‘12, Honors
After graduating from Drexel in 2012, Mickey began his PhD program in Mechanical Engineering at the University
of Pennsylvania, where he is working in the GRASP laboratory studying robotics and automation.
NSF GRFP 2013 Honorable Mentions
Wajeeha Choudhary – Communication, PhD program – Prof. Rachel Reynolds
Robert Devlin – Electrical and Computer Engineering, BS/MS ‘13 – Prof. Steven May
Daniel Fitzgerald – Environmental Science BS ‘08, currently in the PhD program at Texas A&M
James Goodman – Biomedical Engineering BS/MS ’13, Honors – Prof. Karen Moxon
Lindsey Klinge – Chemistry, PhD program – Prof. Peter DeCarlo
Adams Rackes – Architectural Engineering BS/PhD program, Honors – Prof. Michael Waring
The prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program (NSF GRFP) provides
up to three years’ financial support for graduate study to top students who are committed to research careers.
As with all NSF programs, applicants must demonstrate outstanding Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts of
their work to be selected.
15
FROM THE
FELLOWSHIPS OFFICE
Drexel Student Recipients of Selected
Prestigious Scholarship Awards 2006-present
40
30
20
10
0
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Whitaker [UG/GR}
Carnegie [UG] recip or finalist
Udall [UG]
Fulbright [GR*]
Goldwater [UG]
NSF GRFP [GR]
Gates-Cambridge [GR*] recip or finalist
Truman [UG] finalist
Marshall [GR*] finalist
Boren [UG*]
NIH Pre-Doc [GR]
Pres. Mgmt. Fellow [GR]
DAAD [UG/GR*]
* International Award
Fellowships Graduation Award
Wednesday, July 17, 13
Elliott Chiu (Biology/Environmental Science, BS/MS ’13) received
the Drexel Fellowships Office second annual Graduation Award,
recognizing a graduating Honors student who has exemplified
and fostered “fellowships culture” at Drexel.
We first met Elliott via email when he was studying abroad in Equatorial
Guinea. With only intermittent access to a computer, Elliott applied
for university nomination to the prestigious Udall Scholarship. His
application on the national stage was not successful, but Elliott re-applied
in his Junior year. He worked closely with the Drexel Writing Center, his
advisor Dr. Gail Hearn, and the Fellowships Office and became Drexel’s
first ever Udall Scholar. Elliott will be pursuing a VMD/PhD at Colorado
State University and plans to become a research wildlife veterinarian,
conserving species threatened by disease epidemics.
Elliott has been a consistent and strong advocate for fellowships, talking
to Drexel students about his experiences, encouraging them to apply
and helping students realize that it may take more than one attempt to
be successful.
16
A Fellowships Trifecta
Claudia Gutierrez, Alex Sevit (both Biomedical Engineering, BS/MS ‘15), and Kailey Kluge (International Area
Studies, BA ‘15) are three Honors students who met in their first year at Drexel while living in Millennium Hall.
Bonding over math homework and swing dancing, they became close friends and all three of them ended up
applying for and receiving prestigious national fellowships.
Claudia was the first one to apply for a Whitaker Undergraduate Scholarship and inspired both Kailey and
Alex to submit applications to other nationally competitive fellowships. Coming from different academic
backgrounds, they tore each other’s essays apart over hot chocolate, sometimes late into the night, served
as sounding boards for project ideas and future plans, and supported one another emotionally through
the sometimes frustrating application process.
Since all three received awards to study, co-op or conduct research abroad, they plan on meeting somewhere
between Switzerland, Russia, and Denmark, where Claudia, Kailey, and Alex are headed respectively.
Good luck
to all of you!
”
Overall I learned the extent of dedication I have is far deeper
than I imagined in the past...I also...learned to step out of my
comfort zone and approach things more freely without fear,
which allowed me to meet so many wonderful people. I am
grateful for the experience.
”
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Faculty & Staff Making a Difference
Drexel faculty and professional staff contribute to students getting fellowships in ways that are essential to
the success of this effort. In addition to directly mentoring their students, here is a snapshot of the breadth
and depth of participation this year:
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faculty and
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professional staff sat on 12 different interview and nomination committees this year.
additional faculty members served as anonymous reviewers for students applying to the NSF
Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
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faculty and graduate students have joined us as mentors for lunches and dinners with small
groups of high-potential students.
faculty and staff serve as standing liaisons between our office and their colleges. These liaisons
are an essential part of our outreach and communication efforts.
If you’re interested in joining us on a committee, as a reader, or as a mentor, let us know! fellowships@drexel.edu.
Associate Teaching Professor of History Lloyd Ackert generously gives of his
time to mentor and encourage students applying for fellowships. A recipient of
an international graduate fellowship himself (to support his research in Russia),
Ackert knows how valuable these experiences can be for students, providing
opportunities that dramatically widen horizons at a critical time in a student’s
development.
Professor Lloyd Ackert
Ackert finds, too, that participating in nominating and interview committees offers
a way to work with colleagues from around Drexel who also enjoy mentoring these
highly-motivated and engaged students. “It’s all really fun for me,” he confesses.
We are delighted to have Professor Ackert as a regular presence on our committees
and welcome other faculty who are interested in helping a few highly-motivated
students achieve something spectacular.
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Drexel Writing Center
Compelling, honest, and persuasive essays are crucial in any fellowships application. While the
Fellowships Office staff is able to help students develop their writing, we are only two people. As
interest in fellowships has grown among Drexel students, we recognized that it was time to reach
out to the experts.
Students need support to get their passions onto the page
effectively, and, as it turns out, a set of highly-dedicated Faculty
Writing Fellows were excited to work with such impressive
and motivated students. Through the effort of Drexel Writing
Center Associate Director Rachel Wenrick (pictured left), and
with the whole-hearted and generous support of DWC Director
Scott Warnock, our collaboration developed into something
really fruitful this year. Our students were able to sign up for
fellowships-only appointments with designated faculty readers
through the DWC’s online scheduler, and meetings happened in
person or even remotely when needed. Many of this year’s award
recipients took advantage of this outstanding level of support.
Thank you to our colleagues and friends at the DWC!
”
With time and revision, my writing changed dramatically, in
ways I never expected...I am grateful for this level of support
and caring about my learning from the process.
”
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Disque Hall 109
3141 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2875
Email: fellowships@drexel.edu
Web: www.drexel.edu/fellowships