The Sky is the Limit: Two Aerospace Engineering Students Receive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
The National Science Foundation has selected two Utah State University engineering students for the prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship. This award funds recipients with a $37,000 stipend and $16,000 allowance to cover tuition and fees for three of their five-year graduate programs.
Aeronautical and aerospace engineering student, Madalyn Pullins, was selected for the 2026 Graduate Research Fellowship by the National Science Foundation.
Madalyn Pullins graduated with a degree in aeronautical and aerospace engineering in 2026. During her undergrad experience, Pullins was involved in the College of Engineering's Society of Women Engineers, served as vice president of outreach for the We Engineer club and was one of just 18 students selected for the competitive NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates program. Pullins is now pursuing a master's degree and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University.
Aeronautical and aerospace engineering student, Alyssa Smith, was selected for the 2026 Graduate Research Fellowship by the National Science Foundation.
Alyssa Smith graduated with a degree in aeronautical and aerospace engineering in 2026. She was also one of the 18 students selected nationwide for the prestigious NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. While earning her undergraduate degree, Smith explored how complex fluid behaviors impact real-world challenges in engineering, energy and the environment with her mentor, Som Dutta, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
The Graduate Research Fellowship is for full-time, research-based students pursuing science, technology, engineering and math graduate programs. Pullins and Smith were two of five Utah State students selected university-wide for the fellowship this year.
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Writer: Libbie Anderson, libbie.anderson@usu.edu, 435-797-8361