Three Gillings students awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

May 5, 2020

Three students in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health will continue to grow as public health leaders with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Haley Plaas

Catherine McManus

Clara Eichler

Graduate students Clara Eichler, Catherine McManus and Haley Plaas were awarded 2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. The fellowship provides a stipend of $34,000 per year and covers the cost of tuition and fees for up to three years.

“Selection as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow is a highly significant national accomplishment and places recipients amongst an elite group of fellows who have gone on to distinguished careers in STEM or STEM education,” states a letter from the NSF. “We wish the 2020 awardees similar success in their graduate studies and continued excellent progress towards their own career aspirations.”

Eichler’s research focuses on assessing human exposure to fluorinated chemicals in consumer products. McManus has a background in civil engineering and is interested in the sustainability of water and sanitation infrastructure networks around the world. Plaas studies how human activities influence harmful algal blooms and the public health impact of the blooms.

Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.