Kenton Kirkpatrick and Elizabeth Rollins, who are both graduate students in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, have been awarded three-year graduate fellowships by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The fellowships start in the fall of 2008. Kirkpatrick earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M while Rollins earned hers at the University of Notre Dame.

Additionally, Brett Volk, who recently completed his undergraduate degree in aerospace earned honorable mention.

Students annually receive up to $10,500 for tuition and fees to the school of their choice, plus a $30,000 stipend for living expenses. The NSF Graduate Fellowships are very competitive with only 1,000 awards given from a pool of more than 3,000 applicants.

Students apply for the graduate fellowships before or during their first year of graduate study. They can choose to attend any university in the United States or an affiliate with a foreign institution.

The NSF is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering research and education. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to more than 2,000 universities and institutions nationwide.