Three recent graduates receive National Science Foundation fellowships
Three graduates of the Department of Mechanical Engineering have been selected to receive graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation in recognition of their potential to make significant contributions to science and engineering.
Brock Duma '26, Lillian Fantuzzo '26, and Cassandra Freedlander '26 earned the prestigious fellowships from the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program after distinguishing themselves for their undergraduate research work in campus labs — enabled in part by undergraduate research scholarships from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
'We made something really special'
As an undergraduate, Duma contributed to research in the Assistive Robotics Laboratory under the mentorship of Associate Professor Alan Asbeck. Duma also completed an internship with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, taking an active role in drone programming and completing a drone pilot certification.
“I have worked on a lot of different research projects while at Virgina Tech, but my favorite was the amphibious robot I've been working on for my senior design team led by Dr. Asbeck,” Duma said. “The goal of the project was to develop a novel, fast, and efficient land-water robot that can traverse through a pond. As the semester comes to a close, I think we made something really special that the whole team is proud of. Dr. Asbeck has been a fantastic mentor to me this past year and has taught invaluable skills to design and create just about anything.”
A unique opportunity
Fantuzzo works in the lab of Professor Raffaella De Vita, where she has studied the mechanics of soft tissues. Fantuzzo, who also completed an internship with biotech company AMETEK Reichert, is already a year into her graduate studies through Virginia Tech’s accelerated master’s program in mechanical engineering.
“My most rewarding experience has been a long-term collaboration between the STRETCH Lab and Dr. Monet Roberts,” Fantuzzo said. “Unlike a typical semester-long project, this partnership has allowed me to lean into the iterative nature of research. There is something incredibly satisfying about refining a protocol or an experiment over several months and seeing those incremental changes actually yield effective results. It’s given me the independence to develop my own analysis while staying deeply connected to the broader goals of the team.”
De Vita noted Fantuzzo’s unique approach to her work.
“Lillian exhibits an extraordinary balance of technical skill, intellectual curiosity, and originality that clearly distinguishes her from her peers,” De Vita said. “She approaches research as both a precise engineer and an imaginative problem-solver, integrating experimental mechanics, computation, and imaging to answer complex biological questions. I am confident that she will continue to distinguish herself as a researcher and innovator.”
From idea to reality
Cassandra Freedlander was an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Associate Professor Jonathan Boreyko, bringing together nature-inspired mechanics and heat transfer. She also completed an internship with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, an experience that opened the door for her post-graduation summer work as an intern for a drone company in Switzerland.
In Boreyko's lab, Freedlander worked on several projects, including one that she considers one of her standout projects as a student: a synthetic tree.
“The idea behind the work is to use one of the superpowers of trees, their ability to pump water tens of feet from their roots to their leaves using only evaporation, to enhance water condensation and make cooling more efficient,” she said. “I started working on it a little over a year ago, and it's been really cool seeing it go from an idea to a full-blown experimental procedure with exciting implications. In fact, this project is what I wrote my NSF GRFP research proposal on, so in many ways it's what helped me get to this point.”
The National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) was established to recognize and support outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master's and doctoral degrees and demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions to STEM fields. The fellowships come with three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $37,000 and an additional cost-of-education allowance of $16,000 to the institution where the student enrolls.
“The department is proud to recognize the outstanding achievement of these undergraduate researchers,” said Brian Lattimer, the Nicholas and Rebecca Des Champs Chair and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “It is through their accomplishments that we continue to see the high value of foundational experiential learning through research and industry positions. Brock, Lillian, and Cassandra have truly distinguished themselves among their peers, and we will continue to watch with excitement as they progress in their professional paths."
