Biotechnology student receives Astronaut Scholarship
Megan von Abo, fourth-year student enrolled in the biotechnology integrated undergraduate-graduate degree program in the Penn State Eberly College of Science, was named a 2025 Astronaut Scholar, earning competitive national scholarships facilitated by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The scholarships, awarded to 74 students in across the United States this year, provide up to $15,000 toward education for undergraduate students pursuing careers in engineering, math, or natural or applied sciences research.
Von Abo, of Lansdale, is a Schreyer Scholar pursuing minors in neuroscience and entrepreneurship and innovation. Earlier this year, von Abo also earned a Goldwater Scholarship.
“The Astronaut Scholarship acts as a reminder of and point of celebration for how much I have dedicated to my academics and research,” von Abo said. “But what's special about the [scholarship], for my case, is its focus on innovation with a forward-looking approach rather than focusing on general research excellence."
When she arrived at Penn State, von Abo began working in the Kwapis Lab under Janine Kwapis, assistant professor of biology and director of the Center for Molecular Investigation of Neurological Disorders. In the Kwapis Lab, von Abo works to discover whether specific transcript variants of the circadian clock gene Per1 contribute to Per1's role in memory while others contribute to its role in the circadian system. Von Abo interned at Regeneron in 2024 and developed a novel high-throughput analysis technique for tissue and cell samples to support target identification for therapeutic focus areas.
Von Abo said undergraduate research solidified her desire to continue neuroscience research in the future, excel in courses and advance her communication skills.
“Having the background and experience in laboratory techniques gives me a clearer understanding of the topics discussed in class as well as conducting the lab classes themselves,” she said. “While explaining my research at poster presentations, I also learned the importance of effective communication and framing my research in a relevant way for my audience.”
In the future, von Abo said she plans to pursue a doctorate in neuroscience and apply that knowledge to therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, with the main motivation that her grandmother has Alzheimer’s disease.
Von Abo is the vice president of Science LionPride in the Eberly College of Science for which she danced in THON, a Schreyer Leadership intern, an Undergraduate Research Ambassador and was a security leader for the THON Rules and Regulations committee.
More about the Astronaut Scholarship and how to apply
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation was established in 1984 to “ensure that the United States would maintain its leadership in science and technology by supporting some of the very best science, technology, engineering and math college students,” according to the website.
The program was created by the six surviving members of the Mercury 7 astronauts along with Betty Grissom, widow of astronaut Virgil “Gus” Grissom; William Douglas, Project Mercury flight surgeon and Henri Landwirth, businessperson and friend of the Mercury 7. The founding members awarded the first seven scholarships in 1986 and began to fundraise for future scholarships with each astronaut making personal donations and raising awareness for the program. Today, the foundation awards more than 60 scholarships valued up to $15,000 to each scholar.
The Mercury 7 were America’s first astronauts picked from U.S. military pilots in the late 1950s and included Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton and Grissom. The foundation also gained support from astronauts from the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle missions.
Scholarship programming includes an Astronaut Scholar conference, mentorship, professional development, networking and recognition, as well as lifelong engagement with the astronauts, Astronaut Scholar alumni and the foundation.
The University uses an internal Penn State selection process facilitated by Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring (URFM) to nominate up to two applicants for the award each year. To be selected, applicants must be U.S. citizens, full-time second- or third- year Penn State students and be majoring in an approved STEM field with intent to pursue a career in research. Nominations are based on creativity and innovation, initiative and exceptional academic performance.
Nominated students must then ensure eligibility requirements are met, provide two letters of recommendation, a personal statement, a copy of transcripts and a CV or resume.
Students interested in applying for the scholarship can contact Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring at urfm@psu.edu to learn more about the scholarship program and verify that they meet eligibility criteria.
Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring is part of the Penn State Office of Undergraduate Education.