Eight Pitt students named to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Several Swanson School of Engineering students are named to the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).

The GRFP is a prestigious program that supports outstanding graduate students who pursue research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 100 NSF-supported STEM fields. Each year NSF selects a pool of about 2,000 fellowships from 14,000 applicants. 

This year, Pitt had eight winners, two more than in 2023. These fellowships provide three years of financial support that can be used over a five-year period at accredited U.S. institutions, as well as an annual stipend of $34,000 and a cost-of-education allowance of $12,000 that graduate institutions agree to accept in lieu of charging tuition and fees. This year the Swanson School of Engineering boasts two winners and nine honorable mentions. 

“I am delighted by this outstanding outcome,” said Sanjeev Shroff, Interim U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering and Distinguished Professor of Bioengineering. “Our students successfully compete every year for NSF GRFP awards, which is a testament to their academic excellence and hard work and Swanson School faculty who assist graduate students in preparing competitive fellowship applications.”

The two winners from the Swanson School of Engineering are Jemima Ederéwoma Ohwobete, an environmental engineering graduate student, and Rayna Schoenberger, an undergraduate bioengineering student. Schoenberger was honored to receive this fellowship and is enthusiastic about how it will positively impact her future endeavors. 

“I applied to the NSF GRFP because of the flexibility it would offer me in my graduate career. The funding it provides alleviates some of the financial burden on my future PI, making it more likely that I can go to whichever lab I like without funding being an impediment,” Schoenberger said. “Even if I didn't get the fellowship, the act of simply applying and getting feedback has given me valuable grant-writing practice and feedback, making it a worthwhile endeavor no matter how it went.”

Owhobete is excited about the exposure, professional connections, and research freedoms of the fellowship, which gives her the freedom to focus on her PhD without having to find other jobs to supplement her income. 

“I have always been especially interested in the intersection of environmental policy and research,” Owhobete said. “I believe that my skill set and my passion for science communication will allow me to inform better policies in industry or on the governmental level, and this grant will definitely boost my resume and connect me with a big network of other fellows.” 

Pitt’s eight winners include:

• Gessica May Adornato, a graduate student in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences — Chemistry: Chemical Theory, Models and Computational Methods
• Emily Brown, a graduate student in the Dietrich School — Life Sciences: Systems and Molecular Biology
• Morgan E. Cassidy, a graduate student in the Dietrich School — Physics and Astronomy: Particle Physics
• Lauren M. Chronister (A&S ’21), a graduate student in the College of General Studies, Life Sciences: Ecology
• Griffin J. Hurt, a senior in the School of Computing and Information — Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, Graphics and Visualization
• Neil C. MacLachlan, a senior in the Dietrich School — Mathematical Sciences: Mathematical Biology
• Jemima Ederéwoma Ohwobete, a graduate student in the Swanson School of Engineering — Engineering: Environmental
• Rayna L. Schoenberger, a senior in the Swanson School — Engineering: Biomedical

Pitt also had 17 honorable mentions, more than double last year’s number, and nine of these students hail from SSOE. 

• Sophya Breedlove, a graduate student in the Swanson School — Engineering: Bioengineering
• Camille Rose Butkus, a graduate student in the Dietrich School — Geosciences: Biogeochemistry
• Olivia P. Ellis, a graduate student in the Dietrich School — Social Sciences: Archaeology
• Grace Fleury, a senior in the Dietrich School — Chemistry: Chemical Synthesis
• Adam M. Forrest, a graduate student in the Swanson School — Engineering: Biomedical Engineering
• Camila Garcia Padilla, a graduate student in the Swanson School — Engineering: Bioengineering
• Devin R. Harsch, a graduate student in the Dietrich School — Life Sciences: Neurosciences
• Hannah Hunter, a graduate student in the Dietrich School — Chemistry: Chemical Structure, Dynamics, and Mechanism
• Emani Lachea Hunter, a graduate student in the Swanson School — Engineering: Bioengineering
• Jordan J. Kuwik (A&S ’21), a graduate student in the Dietrich School — Chemistry: Chemistry of Life Processes
• Sydnei R. Lewis, a graduate student in the Swanson School — Engineering: Bioengineering
• Katelyn Eleanor Lipa, a senior in the Swanson School — Engineering: Bioengineering
• Zachary Lyons-Weiler, a senior in the Dietrich School — Geosciences: Paleontology and Paleobiology
• Elizabeth Medvedeva, a senior in the Swanson School — Engineering: Biomedical Engineering
• Micah Nye, a senior in the Swanson School — Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Robotics
• Erin Marie Parlow, a graduate student in the Swanson School — Engineering: Bioengineering
• Sriparna Sen, a graduate student in the Dietrich School — Psychology: Developmental Psychology