Two students from the College of Engineering have received research fellowship grants from the National Science Foundation.
Devin Kalafut, senior in mechanical engineering, and Bianca Williams, senior in chemical engineering, will both receive $30,000 of research assistance annually in addition to $10,500 to help with tuition.
"It is a big deal," said Paul Harris, associate director of the Honors College. "This is the second year in a row that we have had winners, and this year we had two winners as well as an honorable mention."
Matthew Ramirez, a 2011 graduate of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, was the honorable mention.
"My job in the Honors College is to assist students with national prestigious scholarships," Harris said. "Students who have an outstanding track record in research are strong candidates for nationally competitive awards like the National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship."
Kalafut has been involved in work focusing on ways to create synthetic bone tissue. He said he is honored to be recognized by such an esteemed foundation.
"This is one of the most prestigious awards I can get as an engineer pursuing graduate school," Kalafut said. "There's a handful of fellowships, but this is up there as one of the most prestigious ones ... It's a very well-known foundation in academia."
Williams could not be reached for comment.
NSF was established in 1950 by Congress to help promote the progress of science. The foundation supports research conducted by American colleges and universities and offers a limited number of grants each year.
"It's opened to science, technology, engineering and math majors," Harris said. "Also, if you are in certain social sciences like psychology and political science as well."
Harris said there are two main criteria in the selection process.
"They really want to look at a solid proposal of what you are going to do if you receive the funding, but they also want to make sure you have completed a substance of undergraduate research prior," Harris said. "Grades also play a very important factor, and then involvement outside of the lab and the class."
Kalafut said he believes he was awarded the grant because his prior research could affect the broader public.
"I was more fortunate to do research in engineering that had medical benefits," Kalafut said. "With that kind of medical basis, as well as some of the volunteer work that I do, I was able to get broader impact recognition for a few different judges to give me the thumbs up."
With his undergraduate studies coming to an end and the grant provided to him by the NSF, Kalafut said he looks forward to the next chapter of his life.
"I will be attending Purdue (University) in the fall," Kalafut said. "At Purdue I will be doing work in nonlinear dynamics of compact systems.
"Most of the work I'm going to be doing is actually going to be done in theory, versus application itself."
However, he said he doesn't fully know what the first year of his new research will entail.
"I will for sure be in the field of dynamics and control," Kalafut said. "It has to do with analysis of really any sort of vehicle control system. It's kind of general."
Harris said he is proud of the success Auburn students have had competing for national scholarships.
"I hope to have many more applicants in the fall for this program because it's my belief that Auburn students can compete for these awards," Harris said. "I'd like to see many more students apply, and that's gonna be my goal for this coming year."
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