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Alumnae Awarded National Science Foundation Research Fellowships

Alumnae Awarded National Science Foundation Research Fellowships

Lauren Otto (left) and Kayse Maass (right) at their Bethel graduation in 2012.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected two Bethel University alumnae to receive graduate research fellowships. Kayse (Lee) Maass ’12 and Lauren Otto ’12 were awarded NSF grants, which are among the highest in national recognition and support for graduate work in all STEM fields including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The NSF graduate research fellowships provide Maass and Otto with three-year annual stipends of $30,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees, opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education they choose. They are expected to become knowledgeable experts in order to contribute to research, innovation, and teaching in engineering and science.

Both Maass and Otto graduated summa cum laude, Maass with double majors in mathematics and physics and a minor in business. She is now in industrial and operations engineering, with initial emphasis in operations research and healthcare, at the University of Michigan. Otto is now in electrical engineering, concentrating in nanotechnology and photonics, at the University of Minnesota, and still contributes to the Bethel community by editing Bethel’s physics/engineering newsletter. She was back on campus this spring for the Society of Physics Students banquet. University Professor of Physics Emeritus Richard Peterson notes, “This recognition affirms anew the wonderful mentoring within Bethel STEM areas—in this case [Assistant Professor of Physics] Nate Lindquist who led her [Otto’s] senior research last year. Lauren has used her many gifts and self-discipline to profoundly impact Bethel University.”