Four alumnae win NSF grad research award

Krystal Sewell nearly lost her life in an off-campus car accident in March 2011 during her second semester as a student at what was then Gainesville State College and is now the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville Campus. In the years since, she has struggled with pain and other adversity as she sought to find a career path.

"You feel like you survived for a reason," Sewell said. "I was on a mission to find out what that was."

Sewell, a fall 2020 UNG graduate with a degree in chemistry with a biochemistry concentration, particularly found purpose in her undergraduate research with Dr. Clarke Miller, associate professor of biochemistry. Miller also pointed her to resources available through Student Accessibility Services, which she said was instrumental in helping her complete her degree.

Now a Ph.D. student at the University of Kentucky, Sewell has earned acceptance into the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). She was one of four UNG alumnae to earn the fellowship this spring.

Sewell aims to one day be a research principal investigator who can build accessibility into her labs and lectures.

"My path to get where I am today was not straight, and I know going forward it never will be," Sewell said. "But I can try to make it easier for others that come after me."

The GRFP 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 U.S. institutions. The five-year fellowship consists of three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $37,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000 to the institution.

The other three UNG alumnae to receive NSF GRFP acceptance in spring 2023 were:

• Chloé Allen, a fall 2022 graduate with a degree in biology, will pursue a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Texas at Austin.
• Haley Shea Barfield, a fall 2020 graduate with degrees in English with a writing and publication concentration and interdisciplinary studies with concentrations in mathematics/technology, social sciences, and humanities. She will pursue a Ph.D. in engineering psychology at Georgia Institute of Technology.
• Brooke Tate Smith, a spring 2021 graduate with a degree in chemistry, is pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Allen said her NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the California Academy of Sciences in summer 2022 changed her life. She pointed to UNG's Honors Program and faculty mentor Dr. David Patterson as pivotal in her research journey. Allen, who was accepted to all four graduate programs to which she applied, offered advice for her fellow students pursuing their goals.

"You have to be very stubborn. You have to want what you want. If you don't have the tools to get it, you have to ask for help," Allen said. "Mentoring is what got me to where I am."

Barfield became UNG's first Goldwater Scholarship winner in 2019. She said a wide variety of UNG faculty members helped her reach graduate school. She aims to pursue a career in academia or industry.

"Receiving the NSF GRFP represents more than just financial support for my graduate studies. It is a recognition of my potential to contribute to the field of engineering psychology and to make meaningful contributions to society through research," Barfield said.

Smith was accepted to two REUs, one at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and one at the University of Connecticut, as an undergraduate student. The Tennessee REU was canceled due to COVID-19, so attending grad school there brings things full circle. Smith won the NSF GRFP on her second try. Her research at Tennessee focuses on the medicinal applications of organic chemistry. She also has earned a two-year fellowship from the National Institutes of Health.

"It was a long process. It was all building up to this," Smith said of winning the GRFP. "It was awesome to receive it."

Students interested in learning more about the NSF GRFP or other national scholarships can contact the Nationally Competitive Scholarships office at ncs@ung.edu or Patterson directly at david.patterson@ung.edu.