Alyssa Bellingham (Electrical Engineering, BS/PhD ’15) is funded through the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). Here is what she’s been up to during this academic year:

Over the past year I spent nine months in Italy at Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi) completing coursework for my Master’s degree. In addition, I spent three months at  the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) of Spain, completing research for my thesis as part of the Engineers As Global Leaders for Energy Sustainability (EAGLES) dual degree program.  At UPM, I characterized a nanohole grating imprinted on a thin aluminum film as a refractive index biosensor. To the left is an image of me and Victor, one of the other graduate students. We are wearing our bunny suits in the clean room as we waited for our samples to finish drying.

During my year abroad, I got to travel all around Europe. I journeyed from Turkey to France, England, Belgium, and Germany. I took hundreds of pictures but one of my all-time favorites was the picture below which was taken in the garden at the Palace of Versailles located outside of Paris, France. I had such a great time during my study abroad experience whether I was working, studying or traveling.

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Webinar: Thu, May 23, 5:30-7PM
Follow webinar live at this link

Applying for a Fulbright or another international scholarship and looking for a professor to work with in a foreign country? We are offering this webinar on how to find an international affiliation. You will be introduced to the Community of Science Scholar Universe, Web of Science, and other databases.

Additional Date:
Fri, Jun 28, 12:30-2PM
Main Campus, Location TBA

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Kelsey Bridget Hatzell (Materials Science & Engineering, PhD ’17, advisor: Prof. Yury Gogotsi) is funded through the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). Here is what she’s been up to during this academic year:

I had the opportunity to present my research on the Electrochemical Flow Capacitor, a new technology for grid energy storage, at the latest material research society meeting in San Francisco, CA. The Drexel Nanotechnology Institute’s multifaceted research group presented on an array of topics such as carbon aerogel supercapacitors, novel two-dimensional materials for battery applications, as well as cutting edge in-situ techniques to quantitatively describe fundamental transport properties in materials. Here a group of PhD students from DNI take a break from a long day of presentations to run/walk the golden gate bridge.

I also participated in the first ever Joint US-Africa Materials Initiative in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this past December. The program brought together 25 PhD students from across Africa and 15 PhD students from the US to attend workshops and lectures by world renowned experts on material research areas for sustainable energy. Topics covered everything from thermoelectric energy conversion to materials for batteries and supercapacitors. The range of experts and backgrounds led to some very invigorating conversations and brainstorming sessions about the opportunity for future cross-continental research collaborations.

On first arrival, after a 20+ hour journey, a small group from the workshop and I went on an excursion to the outskirts of Addis Ababa. Here, we stopped to take a look at part of valley that engulfs Addis Ababa.

Creating lasting relationships among the US and African students/professors, as well as cultural immersion were two priorities of the workshop. There is truly nothing like an international football (soccer) match to get everyone in good spirits!

Here, I am with some of my ‘teammates’: GG (Graduate Student Ethiopia), Veronica (PhD candidate UCLA/Post-Doc UT Austin), Prof. Green (UMich) and Kevin (Graduate Student Kenya). Team Yellow went on to win by an overwhelming margin 4-1!

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One of Drexel’s Fulbright Alternates was just offered a Fulbright Student Scholarship to Germany.  That means, there are now six Drexel students who were offered grants from the Fulbright US Student Program for study and research in 2013-14, the most in Drexel history. Huge congratulations to Seyi Aderotoye (Medicine), Lauren Forbes (Public Health), Liesbet Manders (Creative Arts Therapy), Nick Meyers (Mech Engr), Nathan Taylor (Mech Engr), Sarah Lightfoot Vidal (Materials Sci Engr), and their faculty mentors.

Two students and alumni are alternates and would receive an award only in the event someone withdraws or additional funding becomes available.

Adefolaseyi (Seyi) Aderotoye
DUCOM, MD ‘15
Nigeria

Seyi’s proposed project aims to determine the cultural and socioeconomic influence on pain management for sickle cell disease (SCD) patients in Nigeria. Of Nigerian descent herself, Seyi plans to use her Fulbright experience to bring together Western and African understandings of sickle cell treatments.

From Washington, DC, Seyi studied Public Health as an undergraduate at the University of Maryland. She focuses on hematology, and received the NIH Heart, Lung, Blood Summer Research Fellowship for work at Case Western’s HLB program. Seyi hopes to eventually work in international medical research and policy.

Lauren Forbes
Public Health, MPH ’13
Ethiopia

Lauren proposes to work with the Ethiopian Public Health Association on a project to improve reproductive health services for adolescents in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. She will be investigating youth opinions on reproductive health issues and related cultural factors.

From Portland, OR, Lauren has been a student representative to the Maternal and Child Health Working Group while at Drexel. Lauren also spent time in The Gambia through Drexel’s weServe program and in South Africa working on preventive healthcare, perinatal and community health projects (advisors: Drs. Suruchi Sood and Shannon Marquez).

Elizabeth (Liesbet) Manders
Creative Arts Therapies, PhD ’14
Germany

Liesbet proposes to join a study on autism in Heidelberg, Germany.  She plans to investigate if participants in dance/movement therapy can learn to coordinate their body movement with a partner and if this will improve their social interactions.

From Pittsburgh, PA, Liesbet has been working as a dance/movement therapist and mental health professional for several years. She is now pursuing a PhD at Drexel after realizing the lack of sound research evidence in the largely clinical field of dance/movement therapy (advisor: Dr. Sharon Goodill).

Nicholaus Meyers
Mechanical Engineering, PHC, BS/MS ’13
Germany

Nick is an alternate for Germany. He proposes to work at the University of Ulm on a project to characterize the mechanical properties of fracture fixation devices in order to directly compare research results from various fracture healing studies. This project will allow for optimization of fracture fixation devices and ultimately better care for those who suffer a bone fracture.

Originally from Chamblee, GA, Nick studied abroad in the UK while at Drexel and has completed two coops at Synthes, a medical device company. There, he worked alongside Swiss and German engineers and surgeons, which inspired his desire to research overseas.  Nick was also a Hess Undergraduate Research Scholar (adv. Dr. Sorin Siegler).

Nathan Taylor
Mechanical Engineering, PhD ’15
South Korea

Nathan proposes to use electrical plasma discharge to treat water contaminated with pollution from fuel extraction in conjunction with Kwangwoon University. He hopes to expand his expertise on water treatment techniques by utilizing Kwangwoon’s plasma science knowledge.

Originally from Carlisle, PA, Nathan completed his undergraduate degree at Drexel and has been active in the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, working as a judge during ASME’s Human Powered Vehicle Challenge and contributing to professional development opportunities for students. Nathan is a research assistant at the A. J. Drexel Plasma Institute (advisors: Drs. Young Cho and Alexander Fridman).

Sarah Lightfoot Vidal
Materials Science and Engineering, BS/MS ’13
Chile

Sarah proposes to do research at CIPA’s Functional Polymer Department, in conjunction with the Polymers department at the Universidad de Concepción. She will be working on developing a polymer blend of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) for use in the medical field.

Originally from Corvallis, OR, Sarah has been volunteering as an undergraduate researcher at Dr. Michele Marcolongo’s Biomaterials Research Group for two years and is a regular contributor to the Journal of Young Investigators.

Alternates 

Liesl Driver
Global and International Education, Master’s ’14
Peru, English Teaching Assistant

Liesl is an alternate for an English Teaching Assistantship to Peru. Her graduate research has focused on indigenous bilingual education in Peru, and she hopes to maintain local languages in a globalized world.

From Lewisburg, PA, Liesl studied abroad and worked as an English teacher in Mexico. There, she also studied the two indigenous languages Nahuatl and Zapotec after realizing that Mexico’s culture cannot be fully understood through the Spanish language alone. She hopes to work at the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages after the ETA in Peru.

Sean Miller
Biology, BS ’11
Sweden

Sean is an alternate for Sweden. He plans to research Alzheimer’s disease with world-renowned scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

From Reading, PA, Sean started research in Dr. Aleister Saunder’s lab in his first year at Drexel through the STAR program and conducted Alzheimer’s research there until he graduated. Since graduating from Drexel, he has been a research assistant at the Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital working on the genetic and molecular basis of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Friday, May 10, 2-3:30PM
109 Disque Hall (32rd and Chestnut)

Come hear about the Fulbright Study/Research grants from Drexel students who are finalists for the program and staff from the Drexel Fellowships Office.

In this workshop, we will review the basics of the Fulbright US Student Program and consider a range of projects that students have done with the support of a Fulbright grant. Participants will leave the workshop with one or two initial ideas for what they might propose to do on a Fulbright if they were to apply.

For more information visit Fulbright US Student Program website or email us at fellowships@drexel.edu!

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Kailey Kluge (International Area Studies, BA ’15, PHC) received the prestigious Boren Scholarship  for study in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Kailey has been studying Russian since her first term at Drexel and is planning to spend the entire academic year 2013-14 in Russia: two semesters at the language intensive CIEE St. Petersburg program followed by a co-op at an NGO or international exchange organization in Moscow.

Kailey’s interest in international education has led her to work at Drexel’s Office of International Programs both as a co-op and as a student worker. After graduation, she plans to work in the federal government to fulfill the service requirement of the Boren Scholarship.

Huge congratulations Kailey!

 ***

The Boren Awards, established by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), are designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills. Established by Congress in 1991, the Boren Awards provide funding for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study the languages and cultures of Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

For additional information please email fellowships@drexel.edu!

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Five Drexel students were offered grants from the Fulbright US Student Program for study and research in 2013-14, the most in Drexel history. Huge congratulations to Seyi Aderotoye (Medicine), Lauren Forbes (Public Health), Liesbet Manders (Creative Arts Therapy), Nathan Taylor (Mech Engr), Sarah Lightfoot Vidal (Materials Sci Engr), and their faculty mentors.

Three students and alumni are alternates and would receive an award only in the event someone withdraws or additional funding becomes available.

Adefolaseyi (Seyi) Aderotoye
DUCOM, MD ‘15
Nigeria

Seyi’s proposed project aims to determine the cultural and socioeconomic influence on pain management for sickle cell disease (SCD) patients in Nigeria. Of Nigerian descent herself, Seyi plans to use her Fulbright experience to bring together Western and African understandings of sickle cell treatments.

From Washington, DC, Seyi studied Public Health as an undergraduate at the University of Maryland. She focuses on hematology, and received the NIH Heart, Lung, Blood Summer Research Fellowship for work at Case Western’s HLB program. Seyi hopes to eventually work in international medical research and policy.

Lauren Forbes
Public Health, MPH ’13
Ethiopia

Lauren proposes to work with the Ethiopian Public Health Association on a project to improve reproductive health services for adolescents in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. She will be investigating youth opinions on reproductive health issues and related cultural factors.

From Portland, OR, Lauren has been a student representative to the Maternal and Child Health Working Group while at Drexel. Lauren also spent time in The Gambia through Drexel’s weServe program and in South Africa working on preventive healthcare, perinatal and community health projects (advisors: Drs. Suruchi Sood and Shannon Marquez).

Elizabeth (Liesbet) Manders
Creative Arts Therapies, PhD ’14
Germany

Liesbet proposes to join a study on autism in Heidelberg, Germany.  She plans to investigate if participants in dance/movement therapy can learn to coordinate their body movement with a partner and if this will improve their social interactions.

From Pittsburgh, PA, Liesbet has been working as a dance/movement therapist and mental health professional for several years. She is now pursuing a PhD at Drexel after realizing the lack of sound research evidence in the largely clinical field of dance/movement therapy (advisor: Dr. Sharon Goodill).

Nathan Taylor
Mechanical Engineering, PhD ’15
South Korea

Nathan proposes to use electrical plasma discharge to treat water contaminated with pollution from fuel extraction in conjunction with Kwangwoon University. He hopes to expand his expertise on water treatment techniques by utilizing Kwangwoon’s plasma science knowledge.

Originally from Carlisle, PA, Nathan completed his undergraduate degree at Drexel and has been active in the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, working as a judge during ASME’s Human Powered Vehicle Challenge and contributing to professional development opportunities for students. Nathan is a research assistant at the A. J. Drexel Plasma Institute (advisors: Drs. Young Cho and Alexander Fridman).

Sarah Lightfoot Vidal
Materials Science and Engineering, BS/MS ’13
Chile

Sarah proposes to do research at CIPA’s Functional Polymer Department, in conjunction with the Polymers department at the Universidad de Concepción. She will be working on developing a polymer blend of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) for use in the medical field.

Originally from Corvallis, OR, Sarah has been volunteering as an undergraduate researcher at Dr. Michele Marcolongo’s Biomaterials Research Group for two years and is a regular contributor to the Journal of Young Investigators.

Alternates 

Liesl Driver
Global and International Education, Master’s ’14
Peru, English Teaching Assistant

Liesl is an alternate for an English Teaching Assistantship to Peru. Her graduate research has focused on indigenous bilingual education in Peru, and she hopes to maintain local languages in a globalized world.

From Lewisburg, PA, Liesl studied abroad and worked as an English teacher in Mexico. There, she also studied the two indigenous languages Nahuatl and Zapotec after realizing that Mexico’s culture cannot be fully understood through the Spanish language alone. She hopes to work at the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages after the ETA in Peru.

Nicholaus Meyers
Mechanical Engineering, PHC, BS/MS ’13
Germany

Nick is an alternate for Germany. He proposes to work at the University of Ulm on a project to characterize the mechanical properties of fracture fixation devices in order to directly compare research results from various fracture healing studies. This project will allow for optimization of fracture fixation devices and ultimately better care for those who suffer a bone fracture.

Originally from Chamblee, GA, Nick studied abroad in the UK while at Drexel and has completed two coops at Synthes, a medical device company. There, he worked alongside Swiss and German engineers and surgeons, which inspired his desire to research overseas.  Nick was also a Hess Undergraduate Research Scholar (adv. Dr. Sorin Siegler).

Sean Miller
Biology, BS ’11
Sweden

Sean is an alternate for Sweden. He plans to research Alzheimer’s disease with world-renowned scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

From Reading, PA, Sean started research in Dr. Aleister Saunder’s lab in his first year at Drexel through the STAR program and conducted Alzheimer’s research there until he graduated. Since graduating from Drexel, he has been a research assistant at the Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital working on the genetic and molecular basis of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Thu, Apr 25, 6-7:30PM EDT
Follow webinar live at this link

Hear about the Fulbright Study/Research grants from a Drexel student who is a finalist for the program and staff from the Drexel Fellowships Office.

In this webinar, we will review the basics of the Fulbright US Student Program and consider a range of projects that students have done with the support of a Fulbright grant. Participants will leave the webinar with one or two initial ideas for what they might propose to do on a Fulbright if they were to apply.

For more information visit Fulbright US Student Program website or email us at fellowships@drexel.edu!

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Biomedical Engineering students Ivy Koberlein (BS ’16, PHC) and Alex Sevit (BS/MS ’15, PHC) received the prestigious Whitaker International Undergraduate Scholarship for a service project in Mozambique and to study abroad in Denmark respectively. Congratulations!

Ivy is headed to Chicuque, Mozambique in September and will be working at the Chicuque Rural Hospital through Drexel University’s WeServe program. She plans to repair hospital equipment and to teach hospital technicians how to maintain it. This project will contribute directly to better medical treatment for the people of Chicuque, potentially leading to more effective and efficient treatments in Mozambique.

Alex will be spending the fall term abroad at Denmark Technical University in Lyngby, Denmark. In addition to his coursework he is also excited to learn more about the microbiological research at DTU’s Systems Biology department, home to the largest super computer in Northern Europe for analyzing gene sequences. This will allow Alex to gain an understanding of biological systems through computational modeling.

***

The Whitaker International Program sends U.S. biomedical engineering (or bioengineering) students and graduates overseas to undertake a self-designed project that will enhance their careers within the field.  Along with supporting grant projects in an academic setting, the Whitaker International Program encourages grantees to engage in policy work and propose projects in an industry setting.

For more information please visit the Whitaker website or contact Cindy Schaarschmidt, Asst. Director of the Drexel Fellowships Office.

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Three Drexel students will spend their summers conducting research internships through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Research Internships for Science & Engineering (RISE) Program. Congratulations and good luck in Germany.

Jordan Jobs
Information Systems, BS, 2016, PHC

Jordan will be going to the Technical University of Dortmund. She will will be working at the University’s Communication Technology Institute on a home network convergence project. She also cannot wait to experience German culture firsthand and put her German 101 to the test.

Many thanks to the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) for providing funding.

Zhengyang He
Mathematics, BS, 2014, PHC

Zhengyang will be participating in a project entitled “Evolution of Human Cooperation based on Reputation and Social Networks” at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. This project perfectly matches his interests in game theory and mathematical modeling. He is excited to apply his math skills to social behavior research.

Many thanks to the Steinbright Career Development Center (SCDC) for providing funding.

Khoa Van
Chemical Engineering,  MS, 2014

Khoa will be working on corrosion mechanisms using electrochemical techniques at Bosch in Schwieberdingen in Southern Germany. Working as an engineer in a European country has been a dream of his since childhood. He is looking forward to spending 6 months working and exploring Germany as well as other countries in Europe.

***

The DAAD RISE program offers 2-3 month research internships in science and engineering at German universities and research institutions. U.S. undergrads are paired with German PhD students to help them with their dissertation research. The working language is English.

The DAAD RISE Pro program allows graduate students to conduct 2-6 month research internships in science and engineering at companies in Germany.

For more information visit the program websites (DAAD RISE and DAAD RISE Pro) or email fellowships@drexel.edu!

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