Office for Scholarship and Fellowship Advising
2025 Scholarship and Fellowship Recipients
Goldwater Scholars
Natalie Calahan
Natalie Calahan is a third-year student majoring in chemical and biological engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering. She works in the Cellular Engineering and Mechanobiology Lab, studying the effects of substrate stiffness on cancer cell apoptosis dynamics and fractional killing. After graduating, Natalie plans to pursue a PhD in biomedical engineering with research interests in regenerative medicine and cancer therapies. She enjoys hiking, running, and playing card games in her free time.
Michael Weiss
Michael hails from St. Louis, Missouri. He has always been interested in biology and the natural sciences and was motivated at a young age to become a scientist. Unable to pursue post-secondary education directly after high school, he joined the Air Force at the age of 20. After nearly a decade of service that took him around the world, he returned to school to not only study biochemistry, but also physics, due to his work with electrical generators. He is also conducting undergraduate research in an Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics Lab under Dr. Dylan Yost as well as in a Mechanical Engineering Lab under Dr. Azer Yalin in the process. He plans to take his cross-disciplinary knowledge to graduate school in pursuit of a Ph.D. in Biophysics. Michael enjoys music of all genres, and plays many instruments, including the alto-saxophone, drums and acoustic guitar. He also loves art, especially drawing and painting with his daughter, and sharing the things he learns with others.
Josh Kates
Josh Kates is a junior majoring in civil engineering who discovered his passion for research in Assistant Professor Christian Sanner’s physics lab. There, he assisted with research designed to improve atomic clocks. He balances his studies with his role in an indie rock band, Heliotrope, playing guitar and keyboard. In 2023, Josh took on a research position in the structural engineering lab at the U.S. Air Force Academy, researching ultra-high-performance concrete and examining how the orientation of reinforcing fibers impacts the strength of concrete. When he graduates, Josh plans to pursue a Ph.D. in civil engineering with an emphasis in structural engineering.
Critical Language Scholarship Awardee
Ryan Simmons
Ryan is a U.S. Army veteran who deployed overseas as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. He is majoring in political science with a concentration in global politics and policy, and he is double minoring in history and Mandarin Chinese. Ryan has studied abroad in Taipei, Taiwan, and Beijing, China, participating in language and history programs. He is currently a member of the Chinese Language Club and the CSU Political Review Club. After graduation, he hopes to serve as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, promoting American interests and values abroad. He is grateful to the staff at CSU for their tremendous support in helping him deepen his understanding of the Chinese language, culture, and history through the Critical Language Scholarship program.
PEO Scholars
Emilia Ravetta
Emilia Ravetta, MS, is a PhD student in Sociology at Colorado State University, specializing in the intersection of environmental justice, green criminology, and Latin American studies within the context of global energy transitions. As a Latina scholar with international applied research experience, she bridges academic inquiry with real-world impacts. Her work examines connections between policy, community, environmental injustice, and energy transitions (specifically around lithium mining for renewables), striving to advance equitable solutions to global environmental challenges.
DAAD RISE Awardees
Dylan Schepanski
Dylan Schepanski is an electrical engineering student within the Walter Scott Jr. College of engineering. He has worked a lot within the department as a learning assistant and teaching assistant for freshman level classes. These jobs have meant a lot to him as he hopes to have a lasting impact focused on the betterment of the ECE department for future students. As he goes into his senior year, he plans to focus on power engineering while working under Dr. James Cale for the Synchronous Generator Fault Detection System project. He hopes to learn more about high power circuitry throughout the internship and apply the knowledge to the project.
Flynn Wight
Flynn Wight is a Botany major with a minor in French. He plans to go into research in forest ecology, mycology, microbiology, or some other line of work related to plants in general. His hobbies include painting, reading, and road trips. He hopes that his internship in Germany working as a laboratory assistant through the DAAD RISE program will expand his horizons, teach him valuable laboratory techniques, and allow him to explore Europe and its abundant nature.
Astronaut Scholar
Natalie Calahan
Natalie Calahan is a third-year student majoring in chemical and biological engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering. She works in the Cellular Engineering and Mechanobiology Lab, studying the effects of substrate stiffness on cancer cell apoptosis dynamics and fractional killing. After graduating, Natalie plans to pursue a PhD in biomedical engineering with research interests in regenerative medicine and cancer therapies. She enjoys hiking, running, and playing card games in her free time.
Truman Scholarship Finalist
Robert Lamm
Robert Lamm is a third-year student in environmental engineering who has been a strong advocate for water security in underserved rural areas. In 2023, Robert was selected as a fellow for the Colorado Water Center and participated in the 2024 Colorado Water Congress, where he spoke alongside policymakers on the future of the water workforce. Robert has served as a Presidential Ambassador and was also featured as part of “First Degree,” a special CSU video series highlighting the journeys of first-generation college students. Following graduation next year, Robert is considering pursuing a master’s degree in water management.
Fulbright Scholars
Marisa Gonzalez
Marisa Gonzalez is a Ph.D. student in the School of Social Work at Colorado State University. Marisa is also the internship coordinator, instructor, and child welfare stipend coordinator for the CSU-Pueblo Bachelor of Social Work program. In addition, Marisa facilitates an annual social work trip to the CSU Todos Santos campus and developed an international internship program that began in Fall 2023, with students traveling to work with partners in Mexico and New Zealand to complete their hours. Prior to joining the CSU system Marisa worked in direct practice in roles including family case manager at a homeless shelter, refugee resettlement case manager, and a social worker for a community college. Marisa also has social work practice and learning experiences in Costa Rica and Nepal.
Marisa's Fulbright will be with Dalat University in Vietnam beginning in January 2026 for a duration of 10 months. Working collaboratively with the social work department at Dalat University, she will be supporting the continued development of their social work internship program as well as working towards the development and implementation of student exchange opportunities. While participating in this work she will be conducting her dissertation research, which focuses on international social work collaborations-how they are conducted, assessed, improved, and maintained.
Tashiana Seebeck
Tashiana Seebeck (she/her) earned her Master of Fine Arts from the Creative Writing program at CSU. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from New York University, after which she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Composition department and as an editorial assistant for Colorado Review.
Boren Awardee
Ryan Simmons
Ryan is a U.S. Army veteran who deployed overseas as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. He is majoring in political science with a concentration in global politics and policy, and he is double minoring in history and Mandarin Chinese. Ryan has studied abroad in Taipei, Taiwan, and Beijing, China, participating in language and history programs. He is currently a member of the Chinese Language Club and the CSU Political Review Club. After graduation, he hopes to serve as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, promoting American interests and values abroad. He is grateful to the staff at CSU for their tremendous support in helping him deepen his understanding of the Chinese language, culture, and history through the Critical Language Scholarship program.
NSF GRFP Awardees
Alex Brown
Alex Brown is an undergraduate student in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, concentrating on fisheries and aquatic sciences with a minor in global environmental sustainability. Her research interests center on the interactions of toxicants in aquatic environments and understanding how environmental stressors affect fish populations. After graduation, she will begin her Ph.D. in biology at Texas Christian University, where she will study the effects of early-life exposure to glucocorticoids in fish.
Emma Castiblanco
Emma Castiblanco is a master’s student in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. Her research interests focus on the intersection of urban forestry (and other green infrastructure) and transportation systems, specifically how municipal policies influence the integration of street trees into public transit corridors. Following her master’s at CSU, she will be attending the University of Utah for a Ph.D. in geography.
Sophie Kiehl
Sophie Kiehl is an undergraduate in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology. Her primary research is with the Dean and Vilander lab, where she has developed and evaluated a novel probiotic-based vaccine against rotavirus. She has also researched genomic sequencing and virus pathogenicity. In addition to conducting research, she has also promoted undergraduate research as the co-editor in chief of the “Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence” based at CSU. In the fall, she is attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Ph.D. student in biological and biomedical sciences. She received an Astronaut Scholarship in 2024.
Udall Scholars
Tehya Barber
Tehya Barber is a Biomedical Sciences major with a concentration in Environmental Public Health and is passionate about protecting and preserving tribal health. As a tutor and peer mentor for the Native American Cultural Center, she works to help all students be successful and has a special interest in advancing Indigenous representation in higher education. Her current research is investigating biocrust and water and takes a holistic approach that addresses Indigenous and Western knowledge systems. She plans to pursue a Master of Public Health and return to her homelands in New Mexico to respond to critical environmental health concerns and policy and infrastructure improvements for tribal nations. On any weekend, you can find Tehya with her dog on a running trail or exploring the mountains of Colorado.
Noah Niemeyer
Noah Niemeyer is a senior in the Warner College of Natural Resources majoring in Forest and Rangeland Stewardship with a Concentration in Rangeland Conservation and Management and a Minor in Applied Environmental Policy Analysis. He is the President of the Rangeland Ecology Club and a Senior Associate with the Center for Public Deliberation. Noah is a Research Assistant with the Public Lands Policy Group and worked as an intern with the Larimer County "Climate Smart, Future Ready" Program where he designed the Regional Plan Inventory for improved climate planning in Larimer County. Noah's career goals are centered around the intersection between responsible land stewardship and the policy structures that enable conservation, particularly in the Great Plains.
Robert Lamm
Robert Lamm is a third-year student in environmental engineering who has been a strong advocate for water security in underserved rural areas. In 2023, Robert was selected as a fellow for the Colorado Water Center and participated in the 2024 Colorado Water Congress, where he spoke alongside policymakers on the future of the water workforce. Robert has served as a Presidential Ambassador and was also featured as part of “First Degree,” a special CSU video series highlighting the journeys of first-generation college students. Following graduation next year, Robert is considering pursuing a master’s degree in water management.
Voyager Scholar
Mark Samolej
Mark Samolej is a third-year student majoring in Restoration Ecology with a minor in Environmental Sociology at Colorado State University. He works with both the Restoration Ecology Lab on campus and the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, contributing to applied research on ecosystem recovery and management. As President of the CSU Society for Ecological Restoration Student Chapter, Mark leads community-based restoration projects and fosters student engagement in ecological stewardship. After graduating, he plans to pursue a graduate degree in ecological restoration, with the goal of advancing equitable and resilient restoration practices across diverse landscapes