Five from Nebraska Engineering earn 2012 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Four current students and a recent graduate of the UNL College of Engineering earned 2012 Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation.

Nebraska Engineering students receiving NSF Graduate Research Fellowships are:

• Zach Connell, a senior from Denton, Neb., in the UNL Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering; he is graduating in May and plans to pursue a Ph.D. at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Electronic Materials Research
• Abby Kelly, a senior from Omaha, Neb.; she is graduating in May and will seek a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at UNL
• Eric Markvicka, from Ravenna, Neb., graduated in December 2011 and is studying for his master’s degree in mechanical engineering while working in the UNL Robotics Lab led by Professor Shane Farritor
• Nate Otten, a senior from Sioux Falls, S.D., will graduate in May with a B.S. in mechanical engineering; he plans to begin his master’s degree studies in the UNL Robotics program with Professor Shane Farritor.

Robert Jacobberger, who gained his B.S. in chemical engineering in May 2011 at UNL, is now studying materials engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

According to NSF, these fellowships provide three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in science and engineering research. The fellowship benefits include:

• $30,000 annual stipend
• $10,500 cost-of-education allowance
• International research and professional development opportunities
• TeraGrid Supercomputer access

UNL Robotics is also home to three past winners of this prestigious honor: Markvicka and Otten join Tom Frederick and Tyler Wortman (2011), and Amy Lehman (2010)—for a total of five NSF Graduate Research Fellows in this program.