Wichita State aerospace engineering student gets National Science Foundation fellowship
A doctoral student at Wichita State University has been awarded the National Science Foundation’s prestigious graduate research fellowship.
The grant to Brittany Wojciechowski, a Ph.D graduate student in aerospace engineering at WSU, is worth more than $120,000.
“To me, this fellowship means hope,” Wojciechowski said. “It shows me how far I have come and my potential for how far I can go. When I started my college and my research careers, I would not have imagined applying to this fellowship, let alone receiving the fellowship.”
The university announced the fellowship award Thursday in a news release.
Wojciechowski’s research specialty is structures and solid mechanics with particular interest in structural acoustics.
“My research project involves investigating metasurfaces for their acoustic properties in the hopes of using them as acoustic liners in aircraft engines,” she said in the WSU news release.
Wojciechowski, who is from St. Louis, earned an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from WSU in spring 2020 and started graduate school in the fall. She has participated in the NASA in Kansas program.
“Given her significant research and outreach accomplishments so far, it is no surprise that she has added another feather to her cap by winning the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, said aerospace engineering professor Bhisham Sharma, Wojciechowski’s adviser and the director of the Mechanics of Dynamics Laboratory. “Engineering requires more women like Brittany to help move our field forward in an equitable fashion, and I have no doubts that she will contribute not only to improving our society through technological advancements but also through her leadership and mentoring work.”
Wojciechowski said that “as a first-generation female, I also hope that this encourages other first-generation females to overcome their obstacles and achieve their full potential.”
The award includes a $34,000-per-year stipend, and the WSU College of Engineering receives $12,000 toward tuition and fees for each of the three years of funding.
The NSF fellowship program recognizes and supports outstanding research-based graduate students in science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM, said Coleen Pugh, WSU associate vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School.
“This award recognizes not only Brittany’s academic and research accomplishments, but also her future research potential in terms of advancing her field and benefiting society,” Pugh said. “This award is so prestigious that it will continue to impact her opportunities and reputation throughout the next stages of her education and career. I look forward to seeing all that Brittany discovers and accomplishes.”
This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 3:04 PM.