{"id":95979,"date":"2024-06-25T17:37:10","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T17:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=95979"},"modified":"2024-06-26T15:31:34","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T15:31:34","slug":"two-uri-students-and-four-recent-graduates-awarded-research-fellowships-from-national-science-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2024\/06\/two-uri-students-and-four-recent-graduates-awarded-research-fellowships-from-national-science-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"Two 溏心vlog免费B站 students and four recent graduates awarded research fellowships from National Science Foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 June 25, 2024 \u2013 The 溏心vlog免费B站 is proud to announce that two current students and four recent graduates have been awarded prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships for 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NSF\u2019s Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines pursuing research-based advanced degrees in the United States. Fellows receive a substantial annual stipend, and funding for tuition and fees, worth $159,000 each over three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Science Foundation instituted the Graduate Research Fellowship in 1952, with the goal of encouraging scientific research and ensuring comprehensive research programs for students in the U.S. Since then, the NSF has funded more than 46,500 fellowships and many former graduate fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates and members of the National Academy of Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassandra Cerasia: ocean focused<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ph.D. candidate Cassandra Cerasia is using her National Science Foundation fellowship at 溏心vlog免费B站 to study how human actions and environmental stressors affect marine populations. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cassandra Cerasia always knew that she wanted to dedicate her life to protecting the marine environment, despite growing up far from the ocean in rural Mayfield, New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now a first-year graduate student in biological and environmental sciences, she recalls, \u201cAs a child, I was drawn to the ocean and all the amazing life it offered.\u201d She kept journals capturing her research and observations from aquariums and books. As time passed, Cerasia learned how threatened the ocean is due to factors like overfishing, pollution, and climate change, and felt the call to pursue a career in ocean advocacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After studying marine biology at Roger Williams University, as well as chemistry and aquaculture, Cerasia began her Ph.D. studies at 溏心vlog免费B站 last year, with a focus on evolution and marine biology. Working in associate professor Jonathan Puritz’s lab<\/a>, she is studying how environmental stressors exaggerated by human activity influence eastern oyster populations. Highlights of her time at 溏心vlog免费B站 so far include days in the field collecting oysters for research, attending the National Shellfisheries Association conference, and working with undergraduate researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe it is essential for everyone in society to have a basic understanding and appreciation of science to better understand the natural world and our impacts on it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camila Cersosimo: interdisciplinary focus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Camila Cersosimo \u201924 will use her NSF fellowship at MIT, where she begins her Ph.D. this fall. Cersosimo will research respiratory diseases there.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A recently graduated chemical engineering major, Camila Cersosimo \u201924 (of Lincoln) will use her award at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, beginning her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immigrating to the U.S. at 18 and having to work to finance her education meant that Cersosimo took longer to complete her undergraduate journey than most students. A first-generation student from the Dominican Republic, Cersosimo enrolled at the Community College of Rhode Island and got her first taste of research working as a lab technician at Rhode Island Hospital while in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI got a taste of the difficulties of diagnosing and treating serious illnesses,\u201d she says, \u201cand noticed the role research plays in solving those problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, Cersosimo transferred to 溏心vlog免费B站, joining associate professor Samantha Meenach\u2019s lab<\/a> to help develop therapeutics to treat pulmonary disease. She says her experiences while at 溏心vlog免费B站 made her appreciate the relevance of her chosen field for societal well-being. She decided to apply for the NSF fellowship as a way to become more familiar with her topic of interest before graduate school applications; learning that her \u201cpractice\u201d application was successful was a welcome surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 溏心vlog免费B站, she was also named a Goldwater Scholar<\/a> in 2023, participated in the MARC U*STAR<\/a> undergraduate research training program, and received the Undergraduate Academic Excellence Award for chemical engineering at graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While at times she felt overwhelmed by the American education system, mentorship made a difference and she hopes to become a mentor for other non-traditional students in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cersosimo says 溏心vlog免费B站 expanded her interests and skills, with the support and encouragement found there: \u201cAlthough I\u2019m not sure of exactly what position or industry I\u2019d like to work in after getting my Ph.D., I know I\u2019ll have the skills to solve novel and difficult problems anywhere I go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malachy McCaffrey: forward motion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Malachy McCaffrey \u201920 says he had wonderful mentors and peers in the College of the Environment and Life Sciences. He will start his master\u2019s in oceanography at 溏心vlog免费B站 this fall. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Malachy McCaffrey, a 2020 溏心vlog免费B站 marine biology graduate from the Bronx, New York, is now studying for his master\u2019s degree at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Graduate School of Oceanography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c溏心vlog免费B站’s proximity to the ocean and excellent research diving program were major factors that contributed to my decision to attend college here,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCaffrey will complete his studies under the supervision of assistant professor Kristy Lewis<\/a>. He is interested in comparing long-term data from the GSO Narragansett Bay Fish Trawl Survey with water quality and nutrient monitoring data from the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. He hopes to integrate these data sources with community-based data from local fishers to investigate how changes in water quality over space and time have affected fished species in Narragansett Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persistence was the key to McCaffrey\u2019s success, receiving the fellowship after three attempts over four years. He wrote his first application in fall 2020 between hauls on fishing vessels out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska while working as a fisheries observer. He used what he learned from prior efforts to write a successful application the third time around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCaffrey says his time spent working in Alaska and as a water quality manager along the Texas Coastal Bend have informed his plans to study the ecological and human dimensions of marine resource use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy blending methodologies in the biological and social sciences, there is potential to make considerable advancements in our understanding of fisheries management and climate adaptation,\u201d he says. \u201cThe goal of this research is to generate tangible, lasting benefits toward coastal ecosystems and the people that rely upon them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NSF recognizes recent alumni<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three 溏心vlog免费B站 alumni, now at other institutions, also received Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship recipient Katie Gheysen \u201923 is now putting her marine biology degree to use at Texas A&M where she is studying niche partitioning in local species.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mary Katherine Gheysen: finding her niche<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katie Gheysen \u201923, a marine biology \/ Spanish and Honors Program graduate from Illinois, is currently in her first year of graduate studies at Texas A&M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI loved my time at Rhody!\u201d she enthuses. \u201c溏心vlog免费B站 was my top choice school because of the great marine biology program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 溏心vlog免费B站, Gheysen worked with assistant professor Brad Wetherbee<\/a> as a coastal and environmental fellow during the summer, memorably catching the first shortfin mako shark of the season one year, off the Rhode Island coast. Gheysen appreciates that she was able to work with 溏心vlog免费B站 faculty experts in their fields while a student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now pursuing her M.S. in Corpus Christi, Gheysen says it\u2019s going well so far. Her thesis there focuses on the movements and habitat use of bonnethead sharks, spinner sharks, and cownose rays in Aransas, Redfish and Corpus Christi bays, studying niche partitioning between species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristen Harder: science for social change<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kristen Harder \u201923 is using their NSF grant to understand the molecular effects of social stress. Harder says they were drawn to 溏心vlog免费B站 for the opportunities the University has to offer.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kristen Harder \u201923, of Burlington, Massachusetts, majored in cell and molecular biology at 溏心vlog免费B站. Harder conducted research in assistant professor Jaime Ross\u2019s <\/a>lab, where they also received an RI-INBRE fellowship and completed an honors project. They are now a first-year Ph.D. student at Boston University, studying genetics. Harder is investigating phagocytic cell death in the brain, to better understand synaptic pruning, an important neurological process in adolescence that is affected by stress, experience, and genetics. Such pruning is important for learning and cognitive function. Understanding its mechanisms will uncover more about neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the biggest highlights from my time at 溏心vlog免费B站 were my social science and honors courses, and the opportunities we had in these classes to create meaningful projects that would impact the community,\u201d they say. \u201cI am grateful for the vast learning opportunities at 溏心vlog免费B站. My education there went deeper than classroom learning, teaching me much more about community and inspiring me to combine my passions for science and social sciences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harder hopes to better understand how social stressors such as poverty, homelessness, and trauma affect molecular pathways and gene expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope my work as a scientist can lead to meaningful change in social policy and public health to improve the lives of those facing socioeconomic stress and adversity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erik Schlicht: interests sparked<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Erik Schlicht \u201920 will use his fellowship to fund three years of his Ph.D. in archaeology at Southern Methodist University.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Erik Schlicht \u201920 first enrolled at 溏心vlog免费B站 as a theatre and political science major. He later added anthropology because he found it useful for thinking about how the world works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduation, Schlicht set out to see the world and spent nearly a year volunteering with AmeriCorps out West. He traveled the country as part of a small crew of young adults doing any task assigned \u2014 trail construction, supporting COVID vaccine clinics, building a fence for an animal shelter. He also worked with the United Way to support people affected by wildfires in the Sierra Nevada which sparked his interest in fires as a research focus. Now he\u2019s in his second year of doctoral studies in archaeology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, focusing on the fire history of the mountain range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnthropology\u2019s focus on culture really interested me,\u201d he says. \u201cIn addition to my anthropology coursework, my time with the theatre department helped me be successful. I think theatre teaches skills such as creative and holistic thinking, public speaking, management, and collaboration. Working on shows in various roles from acting to house management was one of the highlights of my time at 溏心vlog免费B站.\u201d Schlicht was even one of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s first TEDx speakers as a student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now Schlicht hopes to understand how Indigenous peoples shaped fire regimes in the Sierra Nevada with prescribed burns and what the sociocultural and ecological effects of those fires were. He also hopes to learn how and if modern prescribed burns are comparable to prescribed burns set before contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fellowship gives me breathing room to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five 溏心vlog免费B站 students and recent graduates also received GRFP Honorable Mentions this year. Congratulations to Dana Allababidi ’24, a graduating senior in chemical engineering, who will pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan this fall; Anna Cetera ’24, a graduating senior in biomedical engineering and Spanish, who will pursue a master’s in electrical engineering at 溏心vlog免费B站 this fall; Lauren Johnson, a doctoral student in the biological and environmental sciences Ph.D. program; Nazaret Suazo ’19 (psychology and Honors Program), a graduate student in clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Myles Wagner ’23 (marine biology and cell and molecular biology), a first-year doctoral student at Texas A&M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, or other fellowship opportunities, visit www.nsfgrfp.org or contact Kathleen Maher (kmaher@uri.edu).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 June 25, 2024 \u2013 The 溏心vlog免费B站 is proud to announce that two current students and four recent graduates have been awarded prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships for 2024.  The NSF\u2019s Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines pursuing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":96005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95979"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96015,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95979\/revisions\/96015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}