91制片厂

Three 91制片厂 graduate students and two alumni received prestigious from the National Science Foundation. Awarded to students pursuing master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support, with an annual stipend and tuition听allowance.听Current student recipients are master鈥檚 students Alexis Eaton and Callyan Lacio and Ph.D. student Else Schlerman. Alumni recipients are Eli Duggan 鈥�23, currently studying at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland; and 91制片厂 Manchester graduate Nicole Gallien 鈥�22.

Alexis Eaton 鈥�24 will be receiving her bachelor鈥檚 degree in environmental engineering and sustainability, and she will utilize her NSF GRFP to pursue a master鈥檚 degree at 91制片厂 in next year. She plans to then continue her education in a Ph.D. program in environmental biochemistry or a similar field.

Eaton鈥檚 proposal centered around the presence of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in septic systems.

鈥淧FAS are a group of manmade emerging contaminants that have been widely used in commercial products because of their resistance to heat, water听and oil,鈥� says Eaton. 鈥淭hese substances have been linked to various forms of cancer, reproductivity toxicity and poor thyroid function.鈥�

Eaton鈥檚 research, mentored by professor of civil and environmental engineering Paula Mouser, has focused on the fate and transport of emerging contaminants. She says it is important to know where these chemicals end up in the environment, along with what types of substances they produce.

鈥淓merging contaminants are harmful to the environment and human health; we need to be able to determine what influences our exposure to these compounds and predict potential exposure pathways,鈥� Eaton says.

Callyan Lacio, currently a first-year master鈥檚 student in the , is conducting acoustic research that monitors and studies animals' calls to estimate their population sizes and look at changes in breeding timing and behaviors. She also prioritizes integrating Indigenous knowledge and culture into her work.

Her advisor is assistant professor Laura Kloepper, who leads the Ecological Acoustics and Behavior Lab. She is also involved with the at 91制片厂鈥檚 Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space.

Lacio, who earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in zoo science and conservation science at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, uses passive acoustic monitoring, a technique Lacio says has lower impacts on the animals than normal monitoring efforts. She is also helping the Mashpee Wampanoag Nation create culture-to-career connection materials relating to STEM and her seal research in Cape Cod.

鈥淭he 鈥榗ulture-to-career鈥� connection focuses on taking what the Nation students are comfortable with, like their cultural stories and practices, and showing them how the knowledge and appreciation of their culture can be made into a career, for example culinary arts focusing on Indigenous foods or biology focusing on protecting Indigenous lands,鈥� she says.

The GRFP will support Lacio鈥檚 move to 91制片厂鈥檚 integrative biology Ph.D. program. Her goal is to work for a non-profit or foundation focused on helping animal populations that are locally at risk. As a Cherokee citizen, she also hopes to continue working with local Indigenous Nations and create culture-to-career connections for their students.

Else Schlerman听wants to听find ways that humans can live more harmoniously with the natural world, especially in face of climate change and large-scale habitat loss.听 As a doctoral student in the Ph.D. program, her research focuses on soil鈥檚 potential to store carbon, which speaks to her broad interest in ecologically informed climate change solutions.听She is working with professor Stuart Grandy and associate professor Jessica Ernakovich in 91制片厂鈥檚听.

鈥淪oils are the largest terrestrial pool of carbon 鈥� greater than the vegetation and atmosphere stocks combined,鈥� says Schlerman, who earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in physics with a German minor from Wellesley College. 鈥淓cosystem-based land management practices can improve听the health of the soil and the environment听while also removing carbon from the atmosphere. Through my research, I hope to develop the basic research on the mechanisms of soil carbon storage that can inform agricultural and ecological management strategies.鈥�

After completing her doctorate, Schlerman plans to work as a scientist for an environmental conservation organization where she can apply the research she鈥檚 doing now to broader restoration and conservation efforts.

NSF awarded 500 fewer GRFP awards this year, making competition for the fellowship especially stiff, says Leigh Pratt, director of 91制片厂鈥檚 Office of National Fellowships. Pratt and Michael Thompson, director of Research & Large Center Development, prepare 91制片厂 candidates for success as co-teachers of the 91制片厂 NSF GRFP class each fall (听/听). The course prepares eligible seniors and first- and second-year graduate students to submit applications to the program. Since 91制片厂 began offering the GRFP prep in 2019, 13 of 16 students who have been awarded the fellowship have taken the class.

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