Graduate students awarded 2022 NASA Space Grant Fellowships

Five Everly College of Science graduate students have received 2022 NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant awards and been named graduate fellows.

The National Space Grant College and Fellowship Project — better known as the Space Grant — was founded in 1989. A network of more than 850 affiliates from academia, industry, museums, science centers and state and local agencies, the program works to expand opportunities for U.S. citizens to understand and participate in NASA’s aeronautics and space projects. It does this by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research and public outreach efforts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

The one-year fellowship consists of $5,000 to assist the student’s progress towards a master's or doctoral degree in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and in the humanities related to NASA research and development.

This years recipients in the Eberly College of Science include:

Macy Huston, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Adviser: Jason Wright, professor of astronomy and astrophysics
“I search for planets and life beyond our solar system," said Huston.

Rebecca Katz, Department of Chemistry
Adviser: Ray Schaak, DuPont Professor of Materials Chemistry; and Zhiqiang Mao, professor of physics, material science and engineering, and chemistry
“I synthesis and characterize materials for clean energy generation and storage," said Katz.

Nathaniel Sturniolo, Department of Chemistry
Adviser: Lauren Zarzar, assistant professor of chemistry
“I computationally model and characterize a new class of colorful iridescent structures and investigate their utility for various applications ranging from security and anti-counterfeiting measures to remote sensing and monitoring capabilities," said Sturniolo.

Jessica Thompson, Department of Chemistry
Adviser: Danielle R. Hickey, professor of chemistry, and materials science and engineering
“I study vitrified biological systems using a focused ion beam method that allows for electron tomography," said Thompson.

Gabriel Vasquez-Lizardi, Department of Chemistry
Adviser: Danielle R. Hickey, professor of chemistry, and materials science and engineering
“My research focuses on investigating structural transformations of metallic nanocrystals via in situ Translation Electron Microscopy, including their plasmonic properties, reactivity and stability for heterogeneous catalysis," said Vasquez-Lizardi.

The full list of Penn State winners is also available.