Fifteen University of Arizona students and graduates were recently awarded National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, some of the most prestigious graduate fellowships in the nation.

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship 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 U.S. institutions.

Fellows benefit from a three-year annual stipend of $34,000, along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees to be paid to the institution. After gaining admission, they can conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education.

"We are proud to see so many of our students receive the support of the National Science Foundation," said Andrew Carnie, UArizona Graduate College dean. "These awards speak to the students' intellect, their commitment to the well-being of society, and the level of support they have received at the University of Arizona."

The following UArizona students were awarded fellowships.

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Arianna Quinn Tariqi is a doctoral student in environmental engineering in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering. She was awarded the fellowship to research ways to optimize cost and energy efficiency in inland water desalination in arid regions such as the American Southwest. With the fellowship, she will be able to expand research beyond the lab and build upon partnerships with utilities and community members through outreach and educational events.

Archer Bowman is a doctoral student studying neuroscience in the Neuroscience Graduate Interdisciplinary Program. He will use the award to research the social and emotional development of adolescent nonhuman primates.

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Arielle Liu is a doctoral student studying biological anthropology in the School of Anthropology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Liu's research examines how temperature changes affect behaviors and thermoregulation in red-bellied lemurs. She will use the award to observe lemurs in Madagascar and collect behavioral data and fecal samples for hormonal analysis. She hopes to better understand how red-bellied lemurs respond to increases in temperature due to global warming.

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Cameron Malloy is a doctoral student studying chemical engineering in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering. Malloy's research focuses on the development of portable chemical sensors for real-time diagnostics of emerging contaminants in our environment, such as PFAS. The main objective of his research is to use an interdisciplinary approach to transform laboratory-scale capabilities into a portable, rapid and reliable detection platform for practical field use.

Clarissa M. DeLeon is a doctoral student studying optical sciences in the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences. DeLeon's research involves developing an imaging instrument to measure the polarization of UV light scattered by highly absorbing aerosols. This instrument will contribute to the scientific study of atmospheric propagation and aging of wildfire smoke. DeLeon aims to demonstrate that an instrument made from commercial off-the-shelf components mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle can differentiate black and brown carbon – the dominant aerosols in wildfire smoke.

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Sam Myers is a doctoral student studying planetary sciences in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in the College of Science. His work focuses on observing and modeling near-Earth asteroids. His supported research will focus on a project that aims to produce better measurements of the properties, such as brightness and size, of near-Earth asteroids.

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Stephanie Gastelum is a doctoral student studying molecular and cellular biology in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology in the College of Science. Gastelum studies how cells regulate and respond to stress to better understand aging and disease. Her research focuses on how cells mitigate stressors.

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Roberto Peralta is an undergraduate student studying mechanical engineering in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering, with  minors in mathematics and French. Peralta works on the development of novel, wireless, battery-free, fully implantable biomedical devices for applications in neuroscience and health diagnostics. In the fall, Peralta will begin the biomedical engineering doctoral program at Case Western Reserve University with an emphasis in neural engineering.

Additional awardees include: Nicholas Bagley, Adam Bauer, Isabella Brown, Alexus Cazares, Madison Driskill, Alana Gonzales and Kayley Manuel.

The majority of this year's awardees participated in the Application Development programs provided by the UArizona Graduate Center. More information on the support available for students applying for fellowships is available on the Graduate Center website.