SCHOLARSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP AWARDEES
Undergraduate STEM Research Scholarship Program provides awards of up to $8,500 to rising juniors and seniors who are enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Applied Health Sciences majors are not eligible for this program.
Graduate and undergraduate papers will be posted soon.
Graduate 2019-2020
Matthew Anderson
Matthew Anderson is a Ph. D. candidate at Virginia Tech. His research topic is modeling and positonal control of asteroid-tethered spacecraft beyond synchrononous radius.
Laura Barry
Laura Barry is a Ph. D. candidate at the University of Virginia. Her research topic is air pollution-ecosystem feedbacks: observational constraints on ozone-forest interactions from an unmanned aerial vehicle.
Luca Beale
Luca Beale is a Ph. D. candidate at the University of Virginia. His research topic is the gas content of low-mass dwarf galaxies as a probe of galaxy evolution.
Andrea Korell-Clark
Andrea Korell-Clark is a Ph. D. candidate at Old Dominion University. Her research topic is folding of the intrinsically disordered Par-4 tumor suppressor under native and extreme conditions.
Brian Collister
Brian Collister is a
Ph. D. candidate at Old Dominion University. His research topic is remote sensing of marine particle properties using shipboard oceanographic Lidar.
Savannah Cuozzo
Savannah Cuozzo is a Ph. D. candidate at The College of William and Mary. Her research topic is quantum enhanced sensors for space applications.
Mary Angelique Demetillo
Mary Angelique Demetillo is a Ph. D. candidate at the University of Virginia. Her research topic is assessing air pollutant exposure inequality using high-resolution nitrogen dioxode datasets.
Molly Finn
Molly Finn is a Ph. D. candidate at the University of Virginia. Her research topic is environmental conditions of globular cluster formation.
Justin Garland
Justin Garland is a
Ph. D. candidate at Hampton University. His research topic is the polar atmospheric dynamics of Jupiter and Saturn.
Patrina Highsmith
Patrina Highsmith is a Masters candidate at Hampton University. Her research topic is the differentiating between cloud shadow and inundated land using VIIRS data.
Luke Huelsenbeck
Luke Huelsenbeck is a Ph. D. candidate at the University of Virginia. His research topic is thin film metal organic frameworks for membrane applications.
Ryan Katona
Ryan Katona is a Ph. D. candidate at the University of Virginia. His research topic is the atmospheric corrosion of stainless steels at elevated chloride and tempratures.
Christopher Krier
Christopher Krier is a Ph. D. candidate at Virginia Tech. His research topic is diagnosing the seasonal variability of upward-propagating, non-migrating diurnal tides.
Elizabeth Mack
Elizabeth Mack is a
Ph. D. student at Virginia Tech. Her research topic is screen-stream vane development and validation.
Renato Mazzei
Renato Mazzei is a
Ph. D. candidate at the University of Virginia. His research topic is the role of magnetic fields in star formation from cloud to disk scales.
Patrick McArdle
Patrick McArdle is a
Ph. D. student at The College of William and Mary. His research topic is infrared properties of recluse spider silk strands.
David Payette
David Payette is a Ph. D. candidate at Old Dominion University. His research topic is the structure of the smallest building blocks of matter by using a particle dector.
Nikunjkumar Prajapati
Nikunjkumar Prajapati is a Ph. D. candidate at The College of William and Mary. His research topic is trace gas detection enhancement with the use of raman absorption on squeezed light.
Daniel Rau
Daniel Rau is a Ph. D. candidate at Virginia Tech. His research topic is hybrid additive manufacturing of multi-functional components for space applications from polyimide and conductive materials.
Steven Roberts
Steven Roberts is a
Ph. D. candidate at Virginia Tech. His research topic is practical multirate time integration methods.
Michelle Rodio
Michelle Rodio is a
Ph. D. candidate at Old Dominion University. Her research topic is the simulation of sound absorption by scattering bodies treated with acoustic liners using a time-domain boundary element method.
Margaret Rooney
Margaret Rooney is a Ph. D. candidate at The College of William and Mary. Her research topic is machine learning, signal identification, and signal classification to infer network processes.
Daniel Schmidt
Daniel Schmidt is a
Ph. D. candidate at the University of Virginia. His research topic is the implications of Hadley Cell expansion for North American drought.
Yasaman Setayeshpour
Yasaman Setayeshpour is a Masters candidate at The College of William and Mary. Her research topic is the biology of robustness: the role of SUMO in protecting cells against stress.
Rebecca Skelton
Rebecca Skelton is
Ph. D. candidate at the Univeristy of Virginia. Her research topic is the analysis of galvanic coupling between stainless steel and aluminum alloys in fastener/plate configurations.
Austin Tapp
Austin Tapp is a Ph. D. candidate at Old Dominion University. His research topic is modeling and simulation of pulsed electromagnetic fields to maintain bone mass during prolonged low gravity exposure.
Andrew Taylor
Andrew Taylor is a Masters candidate at the University of Virginia. His research topic is white dwarf gravitational waves.
Edem Tetteh
Edem Tetteh is a Ph. D. candidate at the Univerisity of Virginia. His research topic is ice adhesion measurement for various materials and conditions.
John Tomko
John Tomko is a Ph. D. candidate at the University of Virginia. His research topic is laser-based additive manufacturing for rapid microelectronic fabrication.
Katherine Mott-Wagner
Katherine Mott-Wagner is a Ph. D. candidate at Virginia Tech. Her research topic is model-based design optimization of disaggregated satellite constellations.
Talia Weiss
Talia Weiss is a Ph. D. candidate at Virginia Tech. Her research topic is the mechanisms of interfacial locomotion in the Indian Skipper Frog.
Robert Wilson
Robert Wilson is a
Ph. D. candidate at the University of Virginia. His research topic is a pilot study for an economical exoplanet characterization survey
Kaleigh Yost
Kaleigh Yost is a Ph. D. candidate at Virginia Tech. Her research topic is characterizing near-surface geologic profiles.
Undergraduate 2019-2020
Zackory Biggers
Zackory Biggers is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech. His research topic is design and evaluation of spatial awareness enhancing system.
Ivana Daniels
Ivana Daniels is a Bachelors candidate at the University of Virginia. Her research topic is: Does Chlamydial LspA function the same as Pseudomonas LspA?
Lance De Koninck
Lance De Koninck is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech. His research topic is transpiration-powered water harvesting.
Lydia Dolvin
Lydia Dolvin is a Bachelors candidate at The College of William and Mary. Her research topic is laboratory studies of atmospheric brown carbon lifetimes: photolyzing chromophore and secondary organic aerosols in the dry phase.
Gregory Hubbard
Gregory Hubbard is a Bachelors candidate at Old Dominion University. His research topic is costal industrial regions and atmospheric conditions.
Kelly Kopera
Kelly Kopera is a Bachelors candidate at The College of William and Mary. Her research topic is investigating the electron transfer kinetics of Eosin Y on TiO2 using single molecule spectroscopy.
Jacob Kramer
Jacob Kramer is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech. His research topic is the validation of the REDD instrument for neutral wind testing.
Thomas Laverghetta
Thomas Laverghetta is a Bachelors candidate at Old Dominion University. His research topic is applying autonomous T & E framework.
Brianna Peterson
Brianna Peterson is a Bachelors candidate at The College of William and Mary. Her research topic is hindcasting the recruitment of a keystone species following a coast-wide disease outbreak against stress.
Justine Schulte
Justine Schulte is a Bachelors candidate at the University of Virginia. Her research topic is elucidating the contribution of crack-tip oxidation to the high temperature fatigue cracking of nickel-base superalloys.
Diego Terrones
Diego Terrones is a Bachelors candidate at Old Dominion Unviersity. His research topic is employing dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces in the synthesis of ice-templated porous ceramics and understanding the structure-property relationships for lightweight materials design.
Community College 2019-2020
Kenneth Bittner
Kenneth Bittner is an Associates candidate at John Tyler Community College majoring in Engineering.
Steven Dollyhite
Steven Dollyhite is an Associates candidate at Central Virginia Community College majoring in Engineering.
Jena Essary
Jena Essary is an Associates candidate at Tidewater Community College majoring in Computer Science..
Sophia Keniston
Sophia Keniston is an Associates candidate at Piedmont Virginia Community College majoring in Engineering.
Trevor Mushung
Trevor Mushung is an Associates candidate at Germanna Community College majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
STEM Bridge 2019-2020
Henok Abiey
Henok Abiey is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in Aerospace Engineering.
Daniel Alex
Daniel Alex is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in Aerospace Engineering.
Agota Banks
Agota Banks is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in Biological Sciences.
Daniel Burdisso
Daniel Burdisso is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in Computer Science.
Riya Dani
Riya Dani is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in Computer Science.
Raymond Daniels
Raymond Daniels is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in Electrical Engineering.
Donnell Debnam Jr.
Donnell Debnam Jr is a Bachelors candidate at Hampton University majoring in Computer Science.
Alvaro Delgado
Alvaro Delgado is a Bachelors candidate at University of Virginia majoring in Aerospace Engineering.
Kyle Ebanks
Kyle Ebanks is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in Mechanical Engineer.
Surabhi Ghatti
Surabhi Ghatti is a Bachelors candidate at University of Virginia majoring in Biomedical Engineering.
La’Zshane’ Hoskins
La’Zshane’ Hoskins is a Bachelors candidate at Hampton University majoring in Computer Science Cybersecurity.
Taiana James
Taiana James is a Bachelors candidate at The College of William and Mary majoring in Neuroscience.
Kieran Koch
Kieran Koch is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in Aerospace Engineering.
Tahjere Lewis
Tahjere Lewis is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in Computational Modeling and Data Analytics.
Gabriel Mallari
Gabriel Mallari is a Bachelors candidate at the University of Virginia majoring in Computer Engineering.
Ricardo Marin Jr.
Ricardo Marin Jr is a Bachelors candidate at the University of Virginia majoring in Computer Science.
Tijae McNeal
Tijae McNeal is a Bachelors candidate at Old Dominion University majoring in Civil Engineering.
Nala Miller
Nala Miller is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in Computaional Modeling and Data Analytics.
Chinedu Okafo
Chinedu Okafo is a Bachelors candidate at Old Dominion University majoring in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering.
Kayla Patterson
Kayla Patterson is a Bachelors candidate at Hampton University majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Mathematics.
Dominic Pinnisi
Dominic Pinnisi is a Bachelors candidate at the University of Virginia majoring in Aerospace Engineering and Physics.
Brenda Riley
Brenna Riley is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in General Engineering.
Anna Towler
Anna Towler is a Bachelors candidate at The College of William and Mary majoring in Chemistry and Environmental Science and Policy.
Amanda Wyche
Amanda Wyche is a Bachelors candidate at Virginia Tech majoring in Mining and Minerals Engineering.
Georgina Yeboah
Georgina Yeboah is a Bachelors candidate at The College of William and Mary majoring in Neuroscience.
Student Research Conference
The 2019 VSGC Student Research Conference was held at Hampton University and featured oral presentations from the 2018 Graduate Fellows and poster sessions from Undergraduate Research Scholars.
The 2020 conference will be held on April 17 and hosted by Virginia Tech in Hampton, Virginia.