Penn State Intercom......April 17, 2003
12 students, graduates
earn NSF Fellowships
National Science Foundation Fellowships have been announced for 12 Penn State students and graduates.
NSF Graduate Fellowships offer recognition and three years of support for advanced study to approximately 900 outstanding graduate students in the mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, and behavioral and social sciences, including the history of science and the philosophy of science, and to research-based doctoral degrees in science education. Awards made in 2003 carry a stipend of $27,500 for a 12-month tenure and an annual cost-of-education allowance of $10,500, paid to the fellow's institution in lieu of tuition and fees. The Fellowship program also offers a one-time international research travel allowance for fellows who plan to study or do research full-time at a foreign site for at least three continuous months.
The current Penn State students who received the award are:
* Heather
Agnew, a member
of the Schreyer Honors College studying chemistry, biochemistry and molecular
biology. Agnew's current research supervisor is Mary Beth Williams in
the Department of Chemistry. She plans to attend Cambridge University
with the Gates/Cambridge Scholarship Trust and study with Trevor Rayment,
scanning probe microscopy to study molecular recognition. She then plans
to attend Cal Tech. Agnew conducts outreach and works with youngsters
to have fun with chemistry at Penn State's summer camps. 
* Nicholas Hartman, a Schreyer Honors student majoring in chemistry with minors in biochemistry and molecular biology. He conducts protein mass spectrometry research with A. Daniel Jones and Robert Minard at Penn State. He also conducts chemical oceanography research with Daniel Repeta at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The first in his family to attend college, he also has won the Marshall Scholarship to study toward a doctorate in the United Kingdom at Cambridge University, where he will research plant proteomics using mass spectrometry under the supervision of Paul Dupree.
* Mark Losego, a member of the Schreyer Honors College studying material science and engineering, with an option in electron photonic materials. Losego currently works with Susan Trolier-McKinstry to research electroceramic thin films. He will pursue graduate work with Jon-Paul Maria, another Penn State alumnus, at North Carolina State.
* Catherine Vrentas, a Schreyer Honors student studying biochemistry and molecular biology. Her current research supervisor is David Gilmour. Vrentas also has accepted the Howard Hughes Predoctoral Fellowship, which supports up to five years of work toward doctoral degrees in the biological sciences. She will pursue her doctorate in chromotin regulation at the University of Wisconsin.
Penn State graduates receiving the award are:
* Hallie Brink, chemical engineering, spring 2002, currently in bioengineering at University of Pennsylvania;
* Stephen Cain, mechanical engineering, fall 2002, currently in mechanical engineering at Stanford;
* Kelly Caputo, chemical engineering, spring 2002, currently chemical engineering at University of Pennsylvania;
* Jason Cross, anthropology and religious studies, spring 1999, currently in anthropology at University of Chicago;
* David Dekenberger, engineering science, spring 2002, currently in material science and engineering at Princeton;
* Karen Howard, no information available, currently in environmental science and forestry at State University of New York;
* Kim Moran, biochemistry and molecular biology, spring 2001, currently in neuroscience at New York University; and
* Kenneth Witwer, biochemistry and molecular biology, spring 1999, currently in molecular biology at Johns Hopkins University, Medical Institute.
In addition, three students from across the country are listed as bringing their NSF awards to Penn State to continue their graduate education. They are Nettie Ragnhild Arnott (meteorology), Jason DeLeon (archaeology) and Christine Merrill (mechanical engineering).