Fellowship Fever

UCF broke its own record this year when 16 students and alumni were named National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows, and an additional seven received honorable mentions. Three of those recipients and four of the honorable mentions came from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Several other MAE students have been selected for prestigious fellowships with NASA, the Department of Defense, and Virgin Galactic, among others. Learn more about all of these students and how UCF prepared them for the fellowship experience.

NSF GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWS

Jake Carter '19, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Brendan Cavainolo, B.S. in Aerospace Engineering

Robert Greene '20, B.S. in Aerospace Engineering

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship started in 1952 and was the first graduate research program of its kind. Almost 50 years later, the program is still going strong with more than 13,000 applicants this year. Three of the awardees from UCF are MAE students as are four of the honorable mentions: mechanical engineering doctoral student Jessica Baker ‘20, aerospace engineering doctoral student Jacklyn Higgs, aerospace engineering doctoral student and alumnus Zachary Stein ‘20 and mechanical engineering undergraduate student Zachary Whitacre.

“I have added confidence about the skills I have,” Whitacre said. “UCF research opportunities have opened doors for me to grow as a person and a researcher in my field.”

NASA SPACE TECHNOLOGY GRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY

Caroline Anderson, Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering

As a child growing up on the Space Coast, Caroline Anderson ’19 would stand in her backyard and watch the space shuttles launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Her lifelong passion for space, coupled with mentorship from several local women who worked as engineers in the space sector, led her to pursue a career in aerospace engineering.

Now, Anderson will move from a spectator to an actor in the space industry through the NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO) program. She is one of 58 participants across the nation selected for a fully funded fellowship open only to graduate students at accredited U.S. universities who demonstrate the potential to assist NASA in creating new and innovative space technologies.

“I’m so excited to learn from and work with leading engineers in my field, as we’re on path for a new era of human space exploration,” says the Palm Bay, Florida, native. “I’ve wanted to work with the NASA Ames aerothermodynamics branch, and this fellowship opens the door to do so while I develop my doctoral thesis.”

Anderson will work on a project that she proposed in collaboration with a NASA subject matter expert who will assist her with the research. As a space enthusiast, she says this experience is a dream come true.

X-FORCE FELLOWSHIP

Perla Latorre Suarez, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Aref Abdala, B.S. in Aerospace Engineering

The X-Force Fellowship, sponsored by the National Security Innovation Network and the Department of Defense, gives students the chance to apply their technical and entrpreneurial expertise to real-world issues that can affect the military. Both Suarez and Abdala will work on a project in conjunction with one of the DoD’s military partners. At the end of the fellowship, they will deliver a prototype to their sponsors.

“I am thankful for this amazing opportunity to help with national security problems while gaining professional experience,” Abdala said. “I will have a chance to devise solutions to some of the military’s problems and can figure out if I want to pursue this career path when I graduate.”

PATTI GRACE SMITH FELLOWSHIP

Alexandria Baca, B.S. in Aerospace Engineering

Loubensky Baine, B.S. in Aerospace Engineering

Baca and Baine are inaugural recipients of the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship for Black aerospace undergraduate students. The fellowship is an official spinoff of the Brooke Owens Fellowship, and is designed to promote diversity in the aerospace industry. Baine will intern as an aerospace systems engineer at Black Sky while Baca will intern as an engineer at Virgin Galactic.

“I want to make something of myself; to be able to make my community proud and show them that if I, a young woman of color, can make it into a field that is less than 10 percent filled with individuals that look like me, then they have the strength and capacity to accomplish their dreams as well,” Baca said.

NATIONAL DEFENSE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP

Zac Stein '20, Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering

The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship is awarded to students who demonstrate the ability and aptitude for advanced training in science and engineering.

Stein is one of 200 awardees out of the nearly 8,000 applicants this year. The award will cover the cost of his research as well as the tuition for his doctoral studies over the next three years.

He will use the funding to explore how to create more durable materials for aircraft.

“I was very excited to be able to have this opportunity,” said Stein, a Burnett Honors Scholar. “I know it will be a game changer for this research.”

Stein also received a Fulbright fellowship in 2019 to conduct research at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, Germany. He previously traveled to the DLR as part of the NSF International Research Experence for Students. He also received an honorable mention for the NSGF Graduate Research Fellowship in 2021.

“There are so many opportunities to take part in,” he said. “I wouldn’t be where I’m at without UCF.”

To read the full stories on all of our fellows, visit mae.ucf.edu/more-news.