The National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) recognizes outstanding graduate students from across the country in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Fellows benefit from a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees (paid to their educational institution), opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education they choose.
As the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the GRFP has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers. The reputation of the GRFP follows recipients and often helps them become life-long leaders who contribute significantly to both scientific innovation and teaching.
The NSF GRFP has announced 2,051 Fellows for 2019. Twenty-two students at the University of Florida received fellowships. Of the 16 students selected in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, two are from CISE.
Jean Louis
Louis is a first-generation college student who is in his final year as a computer engineering undergraduate major, graduating May 5, 2019.
“One of the most exciting things that I did as an undergrad was participating in the research team that created the world’s first Brain-Drone Race,” Louis said. “I was later able to lead a team of nine undergraduate students to put on the second race the following year.”
This fall, Louis will be starting his Ph.D. studies in computer science at the University of Florida. He will be working in the Human-Experience Research Lab under Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D., The Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor and department chair.
“I would like to study the Internet of Things and human-computer interaction,” Louis said.
JULIA WOODWARD
Woodward is currently a second year Ph.D. student in Human-Centered Computing under the guidance of Jaime Ruiz, Ph.D. She graduated cum laude from UF with a B.S. in Digital Arts and Sciences, and then joined the Human-Centered Computing Ph.D. program in fall of 2017. During her undergraduate research career, Woodward was a finalist for the Computing Research Association (CRA) Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award and was highlighted in the CRA-Education Undergraduate Research Series.
Her research area focuses on augmented reality (AR) headsets, which allow a user to see and interact with virtual objects (i.e., holograms) projected onto a view of the real world. The aim of Woodward’s research is to examine how visual information in AR headsets should be presented for different populations (e.g., adults and children), and how it can aid in situational awareness.
Allison Logan
Marketing & Communications Specialist
Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering