TU students receive nationwide awards for research, cultural exchange
Goldwater Foundation, National Science Foundation, Fulbright support TU students’ academic, career goals
By Rebecca Kirkman on April 12, 2023
Six TU students and alumni have received highly competitive national fellowships and awards for their academic and research achievements—from teaching multilingual learners at local elementary schools to studying the nesting habits of the Maryland endangered northern map turtle along the Susquehanna River.
Awarded by the Goldwater Scholarship Program, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, and the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the fellowships support students as they pursue academic and career goals.
The Office of Competitive Fellowships & Awards within the Office of the Provost recruits and prepares students to apply for such prestigious opportunities.
“Our Towson Tigers are hardworking and leaders in their respective fields at this young age,” says Mary Sajini Devadas, associate professor of chemistry and director of Competitive Fellowships & Awards. “Guided by world-class faculty who provide mentorship in a variety of forms—research, creative inquiry and application preparation—our students reach limitless success.”
Learn more about TU’s recent award winners.
Goldwater Scholarship Program
Kaija Harlow ’24, a conservation-based researcher aiming to rehabilitate and repopulate endangered species, has been named a 2023 Goldwater Scholar.
One of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the U.S., the Goldwater Scholarship Program supports sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming the next generation of research leaders.
Harlow is one of just 12 students at Maryland institutions and 413 scholars across the U.S. selected from more than 1,200 nominees.
Majoring in biology and animal behavior with a Spanish minor, Harlow has had the opportunity to conduct undergraduate research with Steve Kimble, biological sciences clinical assistant professor, with a focus on Maryland native reptile species.
“By joining Dr. Kimble's lab, I have gained so much useful knowledge about the research process while broadening my understanding of the conservation research field,” she says. “I have also gotten to experience multiple aspects of conservation research, from field work to lab work to bioinformatics.”
Harlow hopes to support the efforts of the Mexican wolf recovery program and aid with conservation efforts in tropical environments such as the Amazon rainforest.
Learn More
Visit Competitive Fellowships & Awards
The Office of Competitive Fellowships & Awards (TM 154) in the Undergraduate Research Center at 10 West is open for walk-ins and holds an open house on the first Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Tionna Harris ’23 and Nicole Hondrogiannis ’21 have earned National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, highly competitive scholarships awarded to about 16% of more than 12,000 applicants.
The oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the award recognizes and supports outstanding students pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees with a three-year stipend and access to professional development resources.
Hondrogiannis, a previous Goldwater Scholar who studied biology at TU, is a doctoral student studying cell biology and physiology at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. As an undergraduate, Hondrogiannis participated in interdisciplinary nanoscience research and published two peer-reviewed journal articles.
Harris, a chemistry major and Hill-Lopes Scholar, will pursue a doctoral degree in environmental engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. She was one of TU’s three 2022 Rhodes Scholarship nominees.
The dedicated mentorship of chemistry professor John Sivey helped set her up for success.
“Having Dr. Sivey as my research mentor has improved my undergraduate experience,” Harris says. “I have accomplished so much under his guidance over the past two years, and his support motivated me to continue to take opportunities and grow as a researcher.”
Fulbright U.S. Student Awards
Three students have been selected as finalists for the 2023–24 Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the second consecutive year the university has had multiple winners in a program cycle.
TU’s Fulbright winners include Michael Ojo ’23, who received a research award in Denmark as well as Samantha Frank ’23 and Stuti Kamble ’23, who received English teaching assistant (ETA) assignments in Spain and South Korea, respectively. Sydney Redford ’23 was selected as an alternate for a research award in Belgium.
Administered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Program provides competitive, merit-based grants for individually designed study/research projects abroad or ETA programs outside the U.S.
Ojo, a cellular and molecular biology major, will conduct research as a guest student in the biology master’s program at Southern University of Denmark under Lasse Jakobsen, a bat researcher and associate professor.
“I’ll be conducting a study on bats and the type of behavior they exhibit when they sense a predator,” Ojo says. “I’ve always loved animals, so the chance to do high-level research on them abroad is amazing.”
TU had four student Fulbright award winners in the 2022–23 program cycle and was recently named a top-producing institution for the U.S. Student Fulbright Program. The university has had 23 Fulbright awardees since 1968.