WEST POINT, N.Y. – The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) chose four cadets to pursue degrees following graduation in May. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based graduate degrees at accredited United States institutions. 

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers. The reputation of the GRFP follows recipients and helps them become life-long leaders that contribute significantly to both scientific innovation and teaching. 

About the Fellows 

Cadet Bryn Ellwein is majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in Middle Eastern regional studies. She is a Sioux Falls, S.D., resident and will join the signal corps following graduation. At West Point, she researched fluid dynamics using magnetic resonance imaging and planar laser-induced fluorescence. Ellwein’s capstone work focuses on contaminant dispersion in and around a stadium. She spent a semester abroad in Yerevan, Armenia, and became interested in culture and language. Ellwein intends to research experimental fluid dynamics and focus on environmentally-friendly energy engineering. 

Cadet Mitchell Miller is an applied statistics and data science major from Parkersburg, W.Va., and will join the cyber branch following graduate school. He interned with D3 Systems, a survey-data analysis company in Washington, D.C. Miller has also researched high-energy laser weapon systems that he presented at the Directed Energy Professional Society in Mobile, Ala.. Miller’s thesis is focused on analyzing the Lissajous curve as a flight pattern for unmanned aerial search missions. He has presented this research for the American Mathematical Society and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. 

Cadet Christopher Sowinski is majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in aeronautical engineering. He is a resident of Allen, Texas, and will join the aviation branch following graduate school. At West Point, he began his research in vibration-based simulations and sensor implementation in automobiles, leading to his presentation and publishing at the International Modal Analysis Conference. His senior capstone project focused on structural health monitoring via sensor implementation and modeling within aeronautical engineering. 

Cadet Jacob Willis is majoring in physics and minoring in space science. He is a resident of East Point, Ga., and will join the signal corps following graduate school and transfer to army space operations at a later date. His undergraduate research focused on optical and radio sensing of various space-related phenomena. Willis’ research includes outfitting the West Point Observatory to collect data on asteroids and the detection of aurora borealis using radar. 

About West Point  

The U. S. Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, co-educational, federal, liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City. It was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering and continues today as the world’s premier leader-development institution, consistently ranked among top colleges in the country. Its mission remains constant—to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the U. S. Army. For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu.