Vaishali Todi, genetics, development and cell biology (GDCB) graduate student, described being named a recipient of a $10,000 Brown Graduate Fellowship in 2020 as a “a welcome surprise.”

Todi, who works in the lab of GDCB Associate Professor Moe Gupta, said, “It was an unexpected, but a welcome surprise, and feels great. I'm very grateful to Dr. Moe Gupta for his constant support and Dr. Maura McGrail for nominating me for the award.” Todi’s major is molecular, cellular and developmental biology.

In nominating Todi, McGrail said, “Vaishali is poised to make a significant contribution to advancing our fundamental understanding of cell biology and cell division in her thesis research. She has distinguished herself among her peers in the molecular, cellular and developmental biology program through her scholarship and demonstrated potential as an experimental scientist.”

Established in 2011, the Brown Graduate Fellowship is administered by the Iowa State University Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR). Criteria for the 2020-2021 awards included GPA, GRE scores, and nomination letters provided by candidates’ respective director of graduate education.

According to OVPR information, “The Brown Graduate Fellowship is to be used to strategically advance ISU research in the areas of study that are governed by the Valentine Hammes Family and Leopold Hammes Brown Family Trust. These include science, agriculture and space science.”