Western students awarded NSF fellowship awards

Four Western Washington University students were awarded prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Awards, and three received honorable mentions.

“Having reviewed applications myself for NSF’s GRFP program, I understand how very, very competitive it is to receive an award or an honorable mention from this program. It is truly remarkable how many students from Western have been honored and I believe this clearly demonstrates the high quality of their Western educational experience and the deep commitment of our faculty and staff,” said Kathleen Kitto, vice provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at Western.

“In addition to being honored, the award-winning students will have their research supported by NSF for three years with a $34,000 annual stipend and a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance. I am so proud of the Western community in all that we do and the outstanding achievements of our students and alumni,” Kitto said.

The four students to receive NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship Awards include: Kaitlyn Lowder from West Haven, Utah for Marine Biology; Kyle Fowler from Richland for Systems and Molecular Biology; Stacy Anderson from Seattle for Plant Biology; and Kelsey Scharnhorst from Poulsbo for Chemistry. The three students to receive honorable mentions include: David Roy Row from Berwick, Penn. for Chemistry; Bodie Cabiyo from Oroville for Geosciences; and Lillian Hale for Chemistry.

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Awards were given to 2,000 individuals from 16,500 applicants in 2015. NSF provides fellowships to individuals selected early in their graduate careers based on their demonstrated potential for significant achievements in science and engineering. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program is a critical program in NSF’s overall strategy to develop the globally-engaged workforce necessary to ensure the nation’s leadership in advancing science and engineering research and innovation. To learn more about the awards, visit the National Science Foundation website at https://www.nsfgrfp.org/.

For more information, contact Kathleen Kitto, Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at Western Washington University at (360)-650-2884 or kathleen.kitto@wwu.edu