UTEP students earn prestigious STEM fellowships

Jocelyn Flores
·3 min read

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Seven students and recent graduates from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) have earned nationally recognized fellowships and scholarships.

UTEP has received two of the most highly competitive national scholarships for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research: the Berry Goldwater Scholarship and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

As part of the Goldwater Scholarship, UTEP students are awarded $7,500 annually, a significant financial support that covers their tuition and fees, further enabling them to focus on their academic and research pursuits.

Seven students and recent UTEP graduates have received two of the most highly competitive national STEM research scholarships (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) — the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. They are (clockwise from top left) Paulina Vargas, Dylan Díaz-Infante, Ivana Hernandez, Sergio Olivas, Martin Quintana, Kajaya Pollard, and Alexis Lupo (not pictured). Credit: The University of Texas at El Paso.

The Graduate Research Fellowship awards three years of funding to undergrad seniors or graduate students pursuing a research-based master’s degree or Ph.D. in an eligible STEM field.

“The best students at UTEP can compete with the best students anywhere. It’s great to see so many UTEP students applying for and receiving these awards,” said UTEP President Heather Wilson.

The following are the students and their awarded scholarship/fellowship:

Paulina Vargas is a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship—photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.
Paulina Vargas is a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship—photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.

Paulina Vargas

Recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship and is a junior in neuroscience.

Dylan Diaz-Infante, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.
Dylan Diaz-Infante, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.

Dylan Diaz-Infante

Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. An alumnus of UTEP, Diaz-Infante is a Ph.D. student in sociocultural anthropology.

Ivana Hernandez, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.
Ivana Hernandez, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.

Ivana Hernandez

Hernandez is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. She is a two-time UTEP alumna with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering and is completing her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering

Alexis Lupo, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.
Alexis Lupo, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.

Alexis Lupo

Recipient of the National National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. An alumnus of UTEP, Lupo is a Ph.D. student in aero-space engineering.

Sergio Olivas, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.
Sergio Olivas, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.

Sergio Olivas

Recipient of the National National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Olivas, an alumnus of UTEP, is a Ph.D. student in economics.

Kajaya Pollard, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.
Kajaya Pollard, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.

Kajaya Pollard

Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, he is a graduating student from UTEP with a bachelor’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology.

Martin Quintana, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.
Martin Quintana, Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Photo Courtesy to the University of Texas at El Paso.

Martin Quintana

Recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. He graduated from UTEP with a bachelor’s degree in physics and will enroll for his Ph.D. in material science and engineering at UTEP.

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