Michigan State University senior Rebecca Carlson is one of 12 students nationwide to be named a Hertz Fellow.
The Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship Award is awarded to students pursuing an advanced degree in the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences. The foundation received 721 applications from students across the country planning to earn their doctorate in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics field.
Carlson is in the Honors College and majors in chemical engineering through the College of Engineering. She is MSU’s third Hertz Fellow.
“I know I could not have received this award without the support of my friends, family, research mentors and most importantly, God,” Carlson said. “I am honored to receive this award and can’t wait to take advantage of the opportunities that are now available to me.”
Carlson, a 2015 Goldwater Scholarship recipient, has conducted research on and off MSU’s campus. Currently, she is a research assistant in Patrick Walton’s applied bioengineering lab and is a student ambassador for the Undergraduate Research Office.
As a former Evergrande Scholar, Carlson assisted at Harvard Medical School’s Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases. She is also a recipient of the Alumni Distinguished Scholarship - selected from more than 1,100 of the top high school seniors who applied to MSU, took an intensive general knowledge exam and were interviewed by faculty and staff. Prior to college, Carlson was valedictorian of her high school in Rockford.