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Congratulations to IGC Fellow, Jessica Hernandez, who was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) in 2017!

Jessica is a doctoral student in biological sciences in the College of Science. She works in the lab of Dr. Ignacio Moore, where research focuses on better understanding how animals respond, both behaviorally and physiologically, to their constantly changing social and physical environments.

For her dissertation, Jessica will study a free-living population of polyandrous female tree swallows (Tachcineta bicolor) that form a social pair bond with males throughout the breeding season yet also engage in extra-pair copulations. Through observational and experimental studies, Jessica hopes to better understand the relationship between extra-pair copulations and pathogen dynamics in a wild avian population.

Jessica joins 4 other Interfaces of Global Change Fellows who received NSF GRFP awards in recent years:
  • Tamara Fetters, Biological Sciences, (2014-19)
  • Brandon Semel, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, (2015-20)
  • Sydney Hope, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, (2015-2020)
  • Meredith Keeley (Semel), Biological Sciences (2016-21)
  • Jessica Hernandez, Biological Sciences (2017-22)

According to the National Science Foundation, “The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science and engineering. The GRFP provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in science and engineering.”