Geography graduate student Heather Berry is one of just 2000 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship winners this year. “The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce in the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in fields within NSF’s mission. The GRFP provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in science and engineering research. The ranks of NSF Fellows include individuals who have made transformative breakthroughs in science and engineering research and have become leaders in their chosen careers and Nobel laureates” (source).
Heather is a first year MA/PhD student (advisor: Loaiciga) in the Geography Department, and she certainly has demonstrated her “potential for significant achievements in science and engineering research.” Heather received her Bachelor of Science in Hydrologic Sciences and a minor in Geologic Sciences from UC Santa Barbara in 2009. As an undergraduate, she received the UCSB Regents Scholarship and a multitude of awards and honors, including Highest Honors, College Honors, an Outstanding Academic Achievement Award with Distinction in the Major, the Academic Excellence Award, and the Outstanding Senior Award. She was also inducted into two honor societies as an undergraduate – Phi Beta Kappa, and Golden Key – and she concluded her undergraduate degree by giving the student commencement speech at her graduation. To top that off, Heather is a recipient of the UCSB Graduate Division Regents Fellowship, and she also works as the Youth Program Assistant at the Braille Institute of America in downtown Santa Barbara. Hats off to Heather!
