On April 4, 2022, TMI alumna Lauren Chu ’13 was awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for her potential to make significant contributions toward scientific innovation and teaching. Lauren’s research into mitochondrial functioning as a potential mechanism for cognitive decline has earned her a position among the top 12% of applicants. She will begin her tenure this June and will be an NSF fellow for the next five years. Lauren is currently working on her PhD at Penn State.
From the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program website:
The National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s or doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions.
NSF Fellows are anticipated to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. These individuals are crucial to maintaining and advancing the nation’s technological infrastructure and national security as well as contributing to the economic well-being of society at large…Since 1952, NSF has funded over 60,000 Graduate Research Fellowships out of more than 500,000 applicants. Currently, 42 Fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates, and more than 450 have become members of the National Academy of Sciences.