Four from UB receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Three University at Buffalo students and one alumna have received prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) scholarships.

Two alumni and one current students received honorable mentions.

The latest awards continue UB’s success in placing its students as winners in the GRFP scholarship program. Launched in 1952, the GRFP represents the oldest continuous investment in the nation’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce. As one of the most competitive scholastic programs in the U.S., it recruits high-potential, early-career scientists and engineers, and supports their graduate research training.

“The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship is a great recognition of the recipients’ accomplishments,” says Ashlee N. Ford Versypt, associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and faculty fellow for NSF GRFP at UB. “Their potential for further impacts in their fields of research is a reflection of the outstanding research environment at UB.

“Additionally, Ariel Lighty, one of this year’s recipients, is a graduate student in my lab, which is very exciting personally.”

The UB students and recent graduates who received the GRFP are:

Lauren Heinzinger (Scarsdale, New York)

Heinzinger graduated from UB in 2021 with a BS in biological sciences and a BA in English and psychology. While at UB, she was a National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program (NIH UGSP) recipient and a Ronald E. McNair Scholar. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she worked at the NIH as a postbaccalaureate research fellow for two and a half years. In the fall, she will pursue a PhD in microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan as a Rackham Merit Fellow. Heinzinger’s basic and translational research interests include host-pathogen interactions and bacterial pathogenesis.

Luke Hess (Grand Island, New York)

Hess graduates from UB this spring with a BS in biochemistry and will pursue a PhD in cancer biology at the University of Michigan. He conducted research in biochemistry professor Jennifer Surtees’s lab at UB and at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center under Katerina Gurova. His research pertains to understanding genomic instability and characterizing next-generation chemotherapies, called chromatin damaging agents. Hess has also served as a Civic Engagement Alternative Break team leader, Ready-Set-Buffalo team leader and is an academic tutor.

Ariel Lighty (Bremerton, Washington)

Ariel Lighty is a first-generation student and UB Schomburg Fellow pursuing a PhD in chemical and biological engineering. Her PhD research focuses on understanding the effects of aging and diet on gut health using mathematical models, and she hopes to continue advancing biomedical sciences through data-driven and mechanistic models after graduating.

Sarah MacDougall (New York, New York)

MacDougall is completing her master’s degree in linguistics and will pursue her PhD in psychology at UB in the fall focusing on language processing and cognition. A former music major, she took a winding path and eventually got her undergraduate degree in psychology from Purdue University before pursuing graduate studies at UB.

One current UB student and two alumni received honorable mention:

• Leah Maykish received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Ohio State University in 2015 is pursuing a PhD in engineering education at UB.
• Julia Shapiro received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UB in 2022. She will receive her master’s degree in mathematics from Virginia Tech this semester and will continue on at Virginia Tech to earn a PhD in mathematics.
• Matthew Simkulet graduated from UB in 2022 with a bachelor’s of science degree in biomedical engineering and a mathematics minor. He is currently pursuing his PhD in biomedical engineering at Boston University.