Sean Bittner, AASD-STEM participant, selected for NSF GRFP

June 1, 2016

Sean Bittner, an Alabama Alliance for Students with Disabilities in STEM (AASD-STEM) program participant, has been chosen as a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Award. Bittner is a recent Auburn University Honors College graduate who majored in chemical engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Bittner was an undergraduate research fellow, working on a project with Dr. Edward Davis, a professor in polymer and fiber engineering, which focused on loading antibiotics in halloysite nanotubes for wound treatment and infection prevention. He will be heading to Rice University in Houston this fall to pursue PhD studies.

GRFP awardees are chosen from close to 17,000 applicants and represent a diverse group of scientific disciplines. Awardees are from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. commonwealths and territories. The group is diverse, including 1,077 women, 424 individuals from underrepresented minority groups, 62 persons with disabilities, 35 veterans, and 627 senior undergraduates. Former NSF fellows include numerous individuals who have made transformative breakthroughs in science and engineering, have become leaders in their chosen careers, and been honored as Nobel Laureates.

The Alabama Alliance for Students with Disabilities in STEM is a collaborative research project funded by the National Science Foundation with the goal of increasing the quantity and quality of students receiving associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The AASD-STEM program at Auburn University is administered by the Office of Special Projects and Initiatives.