Story by Logan Jackson

Published on April 9, 2025

Each year, the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $37,000.

This year, four Mizzou undergraduate students and one alumnus were selected for the program, with another 14 students with Mizzou ties given honorable mention.

“It’s inspiring to see the commitment of Mizzou GRFP applicants to their highly specialized fields, their dedication to excellence and their growth as researchers over the years,” said Nina Wilson-Keenan, EdD, coordinator and advisor with the Mizzou Office of Global and National Fellowships. “Many of them have spent countless hours in the classroom and the lab, in addition to outreach and community projects, and have explored every chance they have had to share their research and have meaningful learning experiences, including applying for previous fellowships. The GRF is a fellowship that every Mizzou student in an NSF field should consider applying for, as the process provides the perfect opportunity to reflect on and document what it is to be a researcher. It is wonderful to have a chance to support and celebrate the accomplishments of this fantastic group of scientists.”

Student support for the award came from across the Mizzou campus. Along with the Office of Global and National Fellowships, many others played a vital role in aiding Tigers with their applications – Linda Blockus and Sarah Humfeld with the Office of Undergraduate Research; Liz Bent with the Graduate School; Hansa Magee, director of the Research Analytics team in the Division of Research, Innovation and Impact; and Enid Schatz, associate dean of the Graduate School.

Several current Mizzou NSF GRF students also donated their time through workshops and peer mentoring.

“These results speak to the quality and determination of our students — and to the team of mentors who support them on their journeys,” said Erik Potter, program manager of the Mizzou Office of Global and National Fellowships. “My office collaborates with seven others across campus to deliver group training and individual coaching to our student applicants. We spend hundreds of hours working with students on their essays, CVs, goals for scientific and community impact, application forms, and every other application component. We have faculty and staff volunteers who serve as GRF coaches simply because they care. And that’s all before you consider research programs like McNair, FRIPS, ASH, Marc-IMSD, MFURTG and the thousands of faculty members pursuing research agendas who train and develop students every day, all of whom make our work possible in the first place. This campus is committed to student success in a very real way, and the massive train of support that’s behind each of these 19 GRF honorees is a beautiful encapsulation of that commitment.”

This year’s recipients include:

• Jordan Chiantelli-Mosebach, linguistics and statistics double major; pursuing the Honors Certificate
• Emma McDougal, chemical engineering major; pursuing the Honors Certificate
• Marissa Moore, chemical engineering major; pursuing the Honors Certificate
• Ruth Williamson, plant sciences major
• *Sam Yanders, plant sciences

This year’s honorable mentions include:

• *Summer Jewel Bjorn, environmental sciences
• *Lillie Bradshaw, biological sciences
• *Brianna Carman, chemistry and psychology
• **Diane Cordero, biological sciences
• **Daniel Hubin, chemistry
• *Aravind Kalathil, biological sciences and psychology; earned the Honors Certificate
• *Hugh Knopp, biochemistry
• *Michelle Le, psychology
• *Zach Loschinskey, biomedical engineering; earned the Honors Certificate
• *Maria Lusardi, computer science; earned the Honors Certficiate
• **Lily McEwen, geography (earned anthropology and art history degrees from Mizzou, as well as the Honors Certificate)
• *Madison Mitchell, plant sciences
• Tanner Smith, communication and political science double major; pursuing the Honors Certificate
• *Alex Vanover, biochemistry

*Denotes Mizzou alumni
**Current graduate student at Mizzou