Eight Current College of Arts & Sciences students receive awards from NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
April 18, 2023
By Geneva Sandoval Dinallo
The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is one of the top competitive fellowship programs in the nation, designed to support outstanding graduate students pursuing research-based masters and doctoral degrees in STEM fields. The program provides a three-year annual stipend, along with additional benefits, to help students pursue their research and training. It also offers opportunities for professional development, networking, and engagement with the broader scientific community.
The NSF GRFP allows support for the development of a diverse, talented, and highly skilled STEM workforce, which is essential for the United States to remain a global leader in science and innovation. The program also promotes diversity and inclusion in STEM fields by supporting individuals from underrepresented groups and encouraging interdisciplinary research. The NSF GRFP plays a crucial role in advancing scientific knowledge and contributing to the economic and social well-being of the nation and to receive the award is an immense honor.
This year’s award recipients have been announced and 16 of the 21 students recognized at UNM come from the College of Arts & Sciences.
One of these is Daniele Wiley, who will be joining Dr. Lisa Barrow’s Amphibian and Reptile Biodiversity Lab as a Master’s student in the fall of 2023. Over the past two years, Daniele has served as Dr. Barrow’s molecular lab manager where she has investigated cross-family pathogen infection dynamics in North American frogs.
Daniele says, “I feel fortunate and thankful to have been awarded the NSF GRF and aim to pay forward the incredible kindness, mentorship, and encouragement that my colleagues (Chris McDaniels, Kathleen Webster, Kadie Omlor, Jonathan Duran, Ari Torres, Celina Eberle, Dr. Luis Amador) and mentors (Dr. Lisa Barrow, Dr. Chris Witt, Dr. Jessie Williamson, Dr. J. Tom Giermakowski) have given me.
With this award, I aim to also assist other non-traditional students with securing paid opportunities in research and STEM, as well as continuing outreach for natural history collections, as both are aspects essential for my research. Needless to say, I’m very excited for the exploration and collaborations to come!”
Another student who was selected as a Fellow this year is William Crockett. He graduated in December 2022 in Physics and Biology with a minor in Math, and had the opportunity to work for the Santa Fe Institute this past year. This Fall, he will begin his PhD program in microbiology at MIT.
William is grateful for his time here at UNM and says, “There are a lot of people I would like to give thanks to, including Dr. Helen Wearing, Dr. Mousumi Roy, and Dr. Chris Kempes for their research mentorship, Dr. Carrie Cowan, Dr. Daniel Muratore, and Dr. Jack Shaw for their guidance on the NSF GRFP application, and Dr. Melanie Moses for helping me get started doing research as a freshman.”
A third recipient from the College, Hannah Cantrell, completed two independent research projects and received an award in her time at the Department of Anthropology, where they graduated from in December 2022. Hannah will pursue a 
Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology at the University of Oregon beginning this Fall.
Hannah would like to thank their two advisors in the Department of Anthropology, Dr. Heather Edgar and Dr. Keith Prufer, for all their guidance, encouragement, and letters of recommendation along the way. They would also like to thank Dr. Osbjorn Pearson in the Department of Anthropology for contributing a letter of recommendation for the GRFP application. Lastly, Hannah thanks Anthropology graduate student, Emily Moes, for all of her research assistance and support over the years.
The full list of recipients from the College of Arts & Sciences is as follows:
Current College of Arts & Sciences Students
Benjamin Garcia
Ph.D. Candidate
Biology
Emily Hendrix
Ph.D. Candidate
Chemistry & Chemical Biology
Daniele Wiley
MS Candidate
Biology
Andrew Gutierrez
Ph.D. Candidate
Biology
Diego DeMmon
B.S. Candidate, 2023
Chemistry & Chemical Biology
Joshua Cortez
MS Candidate
Biology
Hannah Cantrell
B.S., 2022
Anthropology
UNM College of Arts & Sciences Alumni
William Crockett
Biology and Physics & Astronomy, 2022
MIT
Eric Gomez
Biochemistry & Mathematics, 2021
Rice University
Kathryn Sokolowski
Anthropology, 2021
University of Utah
Miranda Juarros
Psychology and Biochemistry, 2021
University of Colorado at Boulder
Indumati Roychowdhury
English Language & Literature, 2020
University of California at Davis
Sarah Taylor
Anthropology, 2021
Penn State University
Brittney Love
Biochemistry, 2021
Harvard University
Fernando Guerrero
Chemistry & Chemical Biology, 2021
California Institution of Technology
Anejelique Martinez
Biology, 2021
