Student to receive National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Tara L Hicks Johnson, (808) 956-3151
Outreach Spec, School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology
Posted: May 14, 2010

Amanda Timmerman
Amanda Timmerman
UH Mānoa undergraduate student Amanda Timmerman has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship that includes a $30,000 stipend and a $10,500 tuition allowance per year for up to three years.
 
Timmerman, graduating this weekend with a Global Environmental Science (GES) degree, will be continuing her graduate education at UH Mānoa's department of oceanography.
 
As part of the application process for this highly competitive program, Timmerman had to prepare a very detailed application for the fellowship, including a proposal explaining the value of the research she plans to pursue. For her graduate work, Timmerman plans to look at the nutrient supply to thin layers in the ocean. She will be working with Oceanography researchers Margaret McManus and Kathleen Ruttenberg.
 
“The foundation of Amanda's NSF proposal came from both her undergraduate GES thesis, as well as a paper that she wrote for a GES course (Biogeochemical Systems (OCN 401)) under the guidance of Dr. Kathleen Ruttenberg,” explains McManus. “I am very proud of Amanda, and I look forward to working with both Amanda and Dr. Ruttenberg throughout Amanda's graduate career.”
 
Dr. Ruttenberg agrees, “Amanda's willingness to explore a truly new topic in marine biogeochemistry for her research paper in OCN 401, that of understanding processes that supply nutrients to thin layers in the coastal ocean, really set her apart as that unique undergraduate who has the drive, intelligence, and boldness to explore new ideas. This bodes well for Amanda's potential as a scientific researcher, as clearly the reviewers of her proposal at NSF agreed.”
 
Timmerman is thankful to UH Mānoa for the experience she has had thus far, and looks forward to starting her graduate career. “Having been a UH Mānoa undergraduate, I have had many educational opportunities that have allowed me to explore different disciplines. I feel that UH Mānoa's Oceanography Department is the right fit for my educational goals as I pursue my graduate degree,” says Timmerman. “This scholarship will allow me to pursue my research interests without having the need of external employment to support myself. I am excited to see my ideas come to life through the scientific method.”
 
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 in the U.S. and abroad. For more information about the program ,please see the GRFP website http://www.nsfgrfp.org/.