Susan Walley, a senior polymer science major at The University of Southern Mississippi, and recent University graduate Kristen Van de Voorde have been awarded prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.
The fellowships cover three years of funding. Students receive a $34,000 stipend every year as well as a $12,000 cost of attendance allowance tenable at any university in the country. NSF Graduate Research Fellows are selected on the basis of their academic merit as well as their potential for broader impact on the greater scientific community and society as a whole.
Walley, a Richton, Miss., native, is the University’s 17th currently enrolled student to earn an NSF fellowship in the past 10 years. This year the fellowship committee selected approximately 2,000 students from more than 13,000 applicants.
“I was very pleasantly surprised to hear that I had gotten this award,” said Walley. “It was such a rewarding moment after working so hard during the application process. I am very thankful for the experience, and for all who helped me get here.”
Click here to read the full story.