Six GPB graduate students have recently been awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation while two were also selected for a Ford Foundation Fellowship.   Please join us in congratulating the following students. Check back in the coming weeks to learn more about some of their accomplishments and experiences at UCLA.   

NSF GRFP Awardees

Katelyn Hasse – Physics & Biology in Medicine

Samantha Mikaiel – Physics & Biology in Medicine

Matilde Miranda – Cell & Developmental Biology

Jerrell Tisnado – Biochemistry, Biophysics & Structural Biology

Thuy Tran – Cell & Developmental Biology

Guillaume Urtecho – Gene Regulation

Ford Fellowship

Matilde Miranda – Cell & Developmental Biology

Jerrell Tisnado – Biochemistry, Biophysics & Structural Biology

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science and engineering. The GRFP provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in science and engineering.  In 2015, the NSF GRFP was awarded to approximately 2,000 individuals from 16,500 applicants.  For more information about the NSF GRFP, click here.

Through its Fellowship Programs, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.  60 participants were selected for the 2015 Ford Fellowship.  For more information about the Ford Fellowship Program, click here. 

Due to federal regulations, awardees of multiple fellowships are not permitted to surpass a threshold of funding.  Both Matilde and Jerrell had previously been awarded a Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship before selection.  At this time, they opted to respectfully decline the Ford Fellowship and receive the NSF GRFP as it provides opportunities for conducting research at international institutions as well as professional/career development through federal internships.