Six CCI Students Recognized by the National Science Foundation (NSF)

Charlotte
 

Six students from UNC Charlotte’s College of Computing and Informatics have been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Each will receive a $30,000 annual stipend for three years in addition to a $10,500 cost-of-education allowance. The CCI students were among seven at UNC Charlotte to receive the award.
“This again is a testament to the quality of the students we graduate and attract, our programs, and our research efforts,” said Yi Deng, Ph.D., Dean, College of Computing and Informatics.
Three of the students are completing their bachelor’s degrees at the College. Samantha Finkelstein plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University to do virtual reality research. Jordana Hodges plans to continue her research in the area of novice programmers at the Washington University. And, Brandon Kerr also plans on attending Washington University where he will continue his research in computer vision.
The other students will be completing their Ph.D. work at the College. Amy Ingram is conducting research in the Visualization and Analytics Center. Drew Hicks is working in the Games + Learning Lab. And, Amy Stonger, who recently received her master’s degree in Molecular Biology at UNC Charlotte, has been accepted into the Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics newly created Bioinformatics and Computational Biology program and will begin her studies in the Fall of 2011.
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions. 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.

About The College of Computing and Informatics
The College of Computing and Informatics provides academic programs in computer science, software and information systems, information technology, and bioinformatics. It is also the home to leading research centers and institutes, including the Cyber Defense and Network Assurability (CyberDNA) Center, the Bioinformatics Research Center, the Charlotte Visualization Center, the Complex Systems Institute, the Diversity in Information Technology Institute, and the Software Solutions Lab. Research grant awards for 2009-2010 totaled nearly $16 million.

About UNC Charlotte
UNC Charlotte is North Carolina’s urban research institution. With an enrollment ranking it fourth among the 17 schools in the UNC system, it is the largest public university in the greater Charlotte metropolitan region. A doctoral institution, UNC Charlotte serves the region through applied research, knowledge transfer, and engaged community service. Fall 2010 enrollment exceeded 25,000, including 5,450 graduate students enrolled in one of the University’s comprehensive doctoral or master’s programs.

Media Contact: Clark G. Curtis, 704‑687‑7983, clarkcurtis@uncc.edu