Rebecca Patush, a Masters degree student in Biomedical Engineering, was one of seven graduate students from the University of Utah selected to receive a fellowship from the 2025 National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). The GRFP was organized to strengthen and enhance the scientific and engineering workforce by supporting fellowships for outstanding research-based masters and doctoral students in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) education. This highly prestigious fellowship provides three years of support over a five-year fellowship period.
Rebecca is grateful for this valuable opportunity and plans to utilize the fellowship for her research. In an interview with the Price College of Engineering, Rebecca stated, “This NSF Fellowship will support my research on hydrogel materials for biomedical implants. I am developing long-lasting hydrogel coatings for next-generation brain-computer interfaces, with the goal of reducing the body’s immune response to these devices. By mitigating this reaction, the coatings aim to preserve surrounding tissue health and maintain device performance long-term.” Read the PCoE’s article regarding Rebecca and the 5 other College of Engineering students who received the NSF GRFP fellowship here.