WKU senior Vivian Rivera of Burlington earned the highly competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. NSF Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 along with a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance to the scholar's graduate institution. 

Rivera, the daughter of Michael and Dr. Jennifer Rivera, is a 2024 graduate in biology with a minor in chemistry. She will pursue a Ph.D in pharmaceutical sciences focusing on natural products at the Ohio State University upon graduation.

Rivera has conducted research with associate professor Dr. Nilesh Sharma and assistant professor Dr. Joseph Marquardt in the Biology Department at WKU. She earned a Faculty-Undergraduate Student Engagement Grant and an Honors Development Grant to support her undergraduate thesis, which earned "Pass with Distinction" honors. In 2023, she was named a Goldwater Scholar, recognizing her potential in STEM research. More recently, she was recognized as the WKU Biology Department's Outstanding Undergraduate Student and a Fulbright U.S. Student Program alternate. 

Her pursuit of her academic interests extended well beyond WKU's campus. She completed a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undegraduates at Missouri Botanical Gardens, where she worked with Dr. Robbie Hart, Director of the William L. Brown Center. She studied abroad in Ecuador for a semester through a WKU Global exchange program, which put her in proximity to the Amazon Rainforest she is interested in, and then advanced her Spanish proficiency through a summer in Guatemala. 

A criterion for NSF Fellow selection is the scholar's potential for broader impacts to benefit society. As the president of the WKU Ecology and Conservation Club, she collaborated with the Student Government Association to establish a pollinator garden on campus. She also served as president of the WKU Tri Beta Biology Honor Society. Through her teaching assistantships in chemistry and plant biology, she shares her love for plant science with other students. She also volunteers at Lost River Cave, and she has served as a Mahurin Honors College Alumni Ambassador.

Rivera prepared her application for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship with guidance from Cory Dodds and the Office of Scholar Development (OSD). She previously worked with OSD team members Dr. Melinda Grimsley and Lindsey Houchin to prepare applications for nationally competitive opportunities.

"The NSF evaluates research fellows according to two criteria: intellectual merit and broader impact. Vivian is graduating with high marks in both, largely because of the tenacity and focus she has demonstrated since her first year at WKU," said Houchin, Assistant Director of the Office of Scholar Development. "That she has worked with almost every member of our team is a testament to her determination to advance toward her research interests in every available avenue: on-campus and external research, international education, language study, campus and community involvement, and more." 

Students interested in applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program and other external research opportunities are encouraged to express interest by emailing Lindsey Houchin (lindsey.houchin@wku.edu).  

About the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP): The NSF GRDP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students pursuing full-time research-based master's and doctoral degrees toward signficant contributions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or STEM education. 

About the Office of Scholar Development (OSD): OSD helps students make more possible by applying for national scholarships to fund “academic extras” such as study abroad, research, professional experience, and more. By conceptualizing and revising the stories they tell in application essays and interviews, students better understand their strengths, interests, and purpose—and explore multiple possible pathways to that work.