B.S./M.S. student Emily Buck and incoming Ph.D. student Chelsea Knittel, both advised by associate professor Caroline Schauer, are recipients of the 2014 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. The fellowship provides funding for three years of graduate stipend and tuition support, as well as opportunities to conduct research internationally.
Emily Buck
In the Natural Polymers and Photonics Group, Emily is currently working to crosslink electrospun poly(allylamine) nanofibers through a one-step crosslinking method. Her project involves developing the fibers, characterizing the crosslinked fibers’ chemical structure, and testing the stability of the fibers in aqueous environments. She is in the process of considering her post-graduation Ph.D. plans.
Chelsea Knittel
Chelsea’s current major is in Sustainable Materials and Design through the Custom Designed Major program at Drexel. For her Ph.D., she plans to focus her research on transgenic spider silk and textile development.
With these two awards, a total of 12 students from Drexel’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering have received the fellowship. Past recipients include B.S./Ph.D. student Amanda Pentecost (advisor: Yury Gogotsi), Ph.D. student Derrick Smith (advisor: Christopher Li), Ph.D. student Kristy Jost (advisor: Yury Gogotsi), B.S. student Prineha Narang (advisor: Yury Gogotsi), B.S./M.S. student Holly McIlwee (advisor: Caroline Schauer), M.S. student Alex Moseson (advisor: Michel Barsoum), and Ph.D. students Stephen Niezgoda (advisor: Surya Kalidindi), Kris Behler (advisor: Yury Gogotsi), María Pía Rossi (advisor: Yury Gogotsi), and John Chmiola (advisor: Yury Gogotsi).