Andrew C. Weems, graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been awarded the NASA Minority University Research Education Project (MUREP) Advanced STEM Training and Research (ASTAR) Fellowship.
Weems, who works in the laboratory of Professor Duncan J. Maitland, is one of only 10 students in the nation selected for the highly prestigious fellowship, which will allow him to work in a NASA research facility this summer.
In addition to providing Weems the opportunity to work at NASA, the fellowship includes up to three years of funding and covers fees and tuition with an additional stipend and allocation for research to Maitland.
“NASA Office of Education is looking forward in working collaboratively with your institution to advance STEM education and the nation’s workforce by supporting the growth of this future researcher,” wrote Brenda Collins of the NASA Ames Research Center in a congratulatory letter.
Weems was selected for the honor based on his research, “Development of Multifunctional Smart Coatings for Corrosion Detection and Control.” He applied to the corrosion technology laboratory (CTL) at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. with the intent to work on polymer degradation prevention and control.
Researchers at the CTL, Weems said, are interested in smart, multifunctional coatings for prevention of corrosion and degradation in metals and polymers. At the lab, researchers test corrosion of aerospace materials under specific environmental factors. Because shape memory polymers (SMPs) have potential in aerospace applications as well as biomedical devices, Weems intends to use the SMPs being developed in Maitland’s lab as the base materials in testing coatings for degradation prevention. He plans to combine the degradation studies performed on SMPs with testing on aerospace materials to better understand how SMPs can be applied in aerospace applications.
MUREP engages underrepresented populations through a wide variety of initiatives. Multiyear grants are awarded to assist minority institution faculty and students in research of pertinent missions. The program focuses on recruiting underrepresented and underserved students in STEM disciplines through completion of undergraduate or graduate degrees in support of their entry into the scientific and technical workforce.