Two Russ College students and one alumnus received prestigious fellowships – two received National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships, and one was awarded an Ohio University Named Graduate Fellowship.
Josh Greenlee BSCHE '17, and Bert Neyhouse, a senior chemical engineering major, both received NSF Graduate Research Fellowships (GRFP). Nationally competitive awards awarded to only 2,000 students from more than 12,000 applications nationwide, the fellowships recognize students pursuing STEM graduate degrees. Awardees receive three years of financial support – $34,000 annual stipend and $12,000 education allowance – within a five-year fellowship period.
Valerie Young, department chair of chemical and biomolecular engineering, said the prestigious GRFP will provide Greenlee and Neyhouse an element of independence in their Ph.D. projects.
Greenlee, a Ph.D. biomedical engineering candidate at Vanderbilt University, was part of OHIO's Appalachian Cohort for Engineering Scholarship program and received honorable mention for the fellowship last year. His research interests are in cancer immunotherapy and drug delivery, and he aims to create a biotech startup focused in immuno-oncology.
Neyhouse, who will pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after he graduates in May, has performed undergraduate research at the Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research and the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology, and in chemistry and biochemistry. He has served as president of professional engineering fraternity Theta Tau and the Electrochemical Society Student Chapter, captained the Chem-E-Car team, and participated in the Robe Leadership Program and the Ohio University Eco-Challenge project.
Chemical engineering doctoral candidate Xueying Ko is one of five OHIO graduate students selected for a 2018-2019 Named Fellowship – the Graduate College Fellowship – and awarded $15,000 plus a full tuition scholarship.
Ko's nomination was based on her project proposal "Molecular Simulations to Study Adsorption and Self-assembly of Corrosion Inhibitors on Metal-Water Interfaces." Sumit Sharma, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, said Ko joined his molecular simulations research group, and although she was new to the area, she excelled, giving multiple conference presentations and publishing a paper as first author in a reputed peer-reviewed international scientific journal.
For Ko, research and problem solving are a catalyst for connection, enabling her to share findings and encourage younger generations to pursue STEM careers.
Colleen Carow and Anna Hartenbach contributed to this story.