4 Mines students named National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows

Four Colorado School of Mines students have been awarded the 2025 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. 

The prestigious program, which began in 1952, is the oldest continuous graduate fellowship of its kind. It provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated potential for significant achievements in the STEM disciplines.

The 2025 NSF Graduate Research Fellows at Mines include one current PhD student and three current undergraduate students planning to pursue PhDs following graduation in May. 

Isaac Spackman: Breaking down "forever chemicals"

Isaac Spackman, a PhD student in applied chemistry, is working with Shubham Vyas, professor of chemistry.

“I’m working to better understand how we can break down pollution in the environment to make cleanup efforts more efficient and scalable. Specifically, I study how certain harmful chemicals – PFAS or ‘forever chemicals’ – break down over time. These chemicals create short-lived, reactive byproducts during degradation, and I use a combination of quantum chemical modeling and magnetic resonance experiments to detect and monitor them,” Spackman said. “My goal is to ensure that the energy we put into destroying these pollutants actually drives useful chemical reactions toward less harmful products.”

Cailyn Smith: Human-robot interaction

Cailyn Smith, a senior majoring in computer science, will be pursuing a PhD in Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, focusing on human-robot interaction. At Mines, she worked in the MIRRORLab with Computer Science Associate Professor Tom Williams.  

“I am especially interested in how robots can more effectively explain their behavior to human collaborators and align their actions with human goals,” Smith said. “I hope to explore how explainable AI and mental model alignment can foster more trustworthy and effective interactions between humans and robots.”

Wakana Kani: Cellular engineering and drug delivery

Wakana Kani, a senior majoring in chemical and biological engineering, will pursue a PhD in chemical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. At Mines, she worked in the research group of Ramya Kumar, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering. 

Her research interests lie in cellular engineering and drug delivery. 

Aryn Loew: Recyclable ceramic fibers for water purification

Aryn Loew, a senior majoring in ceramics engineering, will be attending the University of Oxford (UK) to pursue a PhD in materials science, which means she is unable to accept the NSF fellowship. At Mines, Loew was part of the research group of Eve Mozur, assistant professor of metallurgical and materials engineering. 

“The focus of my PhD will be to synthesize and characterize recyclable ceramic fibers for applications in water purification,” Loew said. “The goal of this work is to better understand and control the precursor chemistry and processing to create the desired properties.”

A recent Mines alum is also among the 2025 fellowship recipients. Anya Mulligan, who graduated from Mines in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical and materials engineering, is currently attending graduate school at the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

Applications to the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship are supported at Colorado School of Mines through the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships. For more information about applying for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship or other national and international scholarships, please contact Ashley.weibel@mines.edu and visit https://nationalscholarships.mines.edu/.