University of Richmond Alumni Awarded NSF Graduate Fellowships
June 1, 2006
Two recent graduates of the University of Richmond have been awarded highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships.
They are Kristin Fuchs, a second-year graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Rebecca Pompano, a first-year graduate student at the University of Chicago.
Both Fuchs and Pompano were named Goldwater Scholars, another top national science award, while undergraduates at Richmond.
Fuchs is studying protein diffusion in living cells using nuclear magnetic resonance and fluorescent techniques. Much of the previous research done in biochemistry has been done in solution, Fuchs says. “However, conditions may be different inside living cells. Thus, it’s important to move studies from in vitro to in vivo.”
Pompano, who is studying in the physical chemistry division at Chicago, will conduct research on networks of neurons and glial cells and how they communicate with one another. She hopes her work will contribute to a better understanding of multiple sclerosis. Pompano said not much is known about the role of glial cells in neural functioning. Glial cells are the dominant cells in the brain.
The NSF fellowships are $30,000 per year for three years.
The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program is to ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and to reinforce its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in the relevant science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees.