Two students from the School of Engineering have been awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP). Ashley Apodaca-Sparks, a master’s student in the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, and Mega Frost, a Ph.D. student in the Optical Science and Engineering Program, are the recipients of these prestigious awards.
The NSF GRFP was established to enhance the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce in the United States. The program aims to broaden participation in science and engineering among underrepresented groups such as women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans. The fellowship provides three years of financial support over a five-year period.
Apodaca-Sparks is currently developing a field sensor for uranium detection in natural water systems. She noted that there is a pressing need for an affordable and user-friendly field sensor, particularly in New Mexico where many abandoned uranium mines exist.
"The communities affected have to rely on costly and often out-of-reach methods to get information about the safety of their water, and my hope is to help provide a tool that can provide them with this information directly," she said.
In addition to her research work, Apodaca-Sparks collaborates on Shared Futures - an ArtScience initiative led by Professor Yolanda Lin from the UNM Department of Geography and Environmental Studies. This project seeks to connect artists and researchers through a fellowship program where they collaborate on artwork communicating scientific perspectives.
"I am incredibly honored to have received this award," Apodaca-Sparks said. "I know it would not have been possible without the many people who have supported and inspired me."
Frost's research focuses on III-V semiconductor crystal growth - specifically developing antimonide-based structures on silicon for optoelectronics applications.
"Receiving the NSF GRFP is an achievement that I am both incredibly honored and humbled to receive," Frost said. "It is a prestigious award that distinguishes researchers that the NSF believes to be major contributors to the future of science."
Three other students from the School of Engineering received honorable mention for the award: Kritan Subedi and Paige Haley, both master’s students in the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering; and Andrew Geyco, who received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from UNM.
Additionally, two UNM Engineering alumni were awarded fellowships: Levi Premer, now at Purdue University, and Shantae C. Gallegos, currently at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
A comprehensive list of fellowship recipients can be found on the National Science Foundation website.
