Scott Herting, a student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, was recently awarded the 2017 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship.
Herting began his studies in the biomedical engineering department at Texas A&M in the fall of 2015 where he now works in the Biomedical Device Laboratory (BDL) of Dr. Duncan Maitland. Prior to joining A&M Herting earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California. At Cal Poly he worked with Dr. Kristen Cardinal using in vitro systems to evaluate cardiovascular devices. Herting is now working on understanding how, where and why materials developed in the BDL trigger regenerative healing when implanted in the body. This includes fundamental cell material interactions that may lead to better medical devices.
The NDSEG fellowship is highly competitive and awarded to U.S. Residents and nationals who intend to pursue a doctoral degree in one of 15 supported disciplines. The NDSEG website states that, “On average, 10 percent of reviewed applicants are selected to receive awards each year.” The fellowship allows the student to attend the institution of their choice and is a four-year commitment. In addition, the fellowship covers the expenses of tuition, all mandatory fees, a monthly stipend and up to $1,000 a year in medical insurance.
“I am very grateful to have been selected as a fellow as I know that they evaluate applicants on many different criteria,” said Herting. “I think it was very important that my research proposal fit with some of the research goals at the Department of Defense (DOD) research labs.”
Herting was interested in the fellowship because it would allow him the freedom to pursue projects that were important to him but guided by the research context of the BDL. Herting will have the opportunity to work in the Department of Defense laboratories and learn valuable new skills to share with the biomedical engineering department at Texas A&M.
“I am also excited to connect with other fellows and researchers at the Department of Defense facilities,” said Herting. “I am looking forward to making connections and exploring potential internship or collaboration opportunities that may come from this fellowship.”