Seven Ohio State engineering students have received the National Science Foundation’s 2010 Graduate Research Fellowship. The winners are 2009 alumni Matt Limmer, environmental engineering; Eric Ryan Sacia, chemical engineering; and Ehsan Sadeghipour, mechanical engineering; as well as Kenton Williams, an ’08 alumnus in mechanical engineering; Kathryn Gabet, a mechanical engineering graduate student; and undergraduates Kevin James Disotell in aeronautical and aerospace engineering and Rebecca Linn Rouston in mechanical engineering.

The winners are among 19 Ohio State students and graduates granted the fellowships. The National Science Foundation and its Graduate Research Fellowships help ensure the vitality of the science and engineering human resource base in the United States and reinforce the field’s diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees from the U.S. and abroad.

In addition, six other Ohio State engineering students received honorable mentions from the National Science Foundation: Anne Louise Thebo, an ’06 alumna in civil engineering and natural resources; graduate students James Matthew Marcicki in mechanical engineering and Patrick Michael Wensing in electrical and computer engineering; and undergraduates John Paul Hanson in nuclear engineering, Michael J. Roe in electrical and computer engineering, and Kevin Lee Yugulis in aeronautical and aerospace engineering. These students are among 22 Buckeyes who received honorable mentions.

Not only did Ohio State students win National Science Foundation research fellowships, but three juniors have been named 2010 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars. Among the winners is Tyler Merz, a junior majoring in engineering physics. Merz is conducting research under Leonard Brillson, professor of electrical and computer engineering and physics, and plans to pursue a career researching novel electronic materials in industry or at a government laboratory.

The Barry M. Goldwater award is the most prestigious national award for undergraduate researchers in science, math and engineering. The one-year scholarship will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500. Since the award’s creation in 1986, Ohio State has produced 39 Goldwater Scholars.