by Niki Acton '16

Gretchen Walljasper '14 has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. This competitive award provides three years of financial support for graduate study leading to a master's or doctoral degree in science or engineering.

While at Knox, Walljasper majored in biology and minored in anthropology/sociology. She credits the honors project she completed during her senior year with giving her the confidence and experience she'll need to design and carry out a graduate-level thesis project.

"The professors were what made my Knox experience really exceptional," said Walljasper. "My advisor, Judy Thorn, encouraged me to apply for the NSF fellowship, which I would have otherwise thought I wasn't qualified enough to receive."

In the year since graduating from Knox, Walljasper has been working with AmeriCorps at Hale Community School in her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"When I decided not to apply to graduate school during my senior year, I started looking for a meaningful way to spend the year," said Walljasper. "I couldn't think of a better way than to give back to the elementary school I attended as a child."

Walljasper spent the year working in the Minnesota Reading Corps as a literacy tutor for grades K-3 and helping with the Girls in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science after-school program. She hopes to continue to be involved in K-12 science education throughout graduate school and her career.

In the fall, Walljasper will begin a Ph.D. in the Ecology, Evolution, and Population Biology program at Washington University in St. Louis. She hopes to research the relationship between plants and microbial communities.

"This research will contribute to a more complete understanding of ecosystems," said Walljasper. "The fellowship will give me much more control over the direction of my research since I will not need to depend on my advisor for funding."

Ultimately, Walljasper hopes to combine her love of research and her passion for teaching by becoming a professor at a college or university.