(March 31, 2020) Graduate student Abby Bratton has received a 2020 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) Award. Abby is a first-year student in the Matson group and her winning proposal focuses on synthesis and applications of new degradable polymers based on polypeptides and polysaccharides. 

“I'm very honored and excited to receive this award and thankful to everyone that has helped me reach this point,” said Abby. “I look forward to continuing my graduate career and have the opportunity to focus on research.”

The program provides three years of support for graduate students early in their graduate training in a STEM or STEM education field. Graduate students from across the country are open to apply, but only about 15% of students receive a fellowship.

“I am elated that Abby has received this prestigious fellowship,” wrote her advisor, Prof. John Matson. “She is a very deserving recipient of this honor because of her academic achievements, her abilities in the lab, her vision for a future built on sustainable materials, and her commitment to advancing women in STEM fields.”

Way to go, Abby!