Chemical engineering undergrad wins Hertz Fellowship

Jane Rempel (21K JPG)

Chemical engineering and mathematics undergraduate Jane Rempel was recently awarded a $25,000 Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship Award for the 2002-2003 academic year. The award is renewable annually for up to five years. The fellowship is a merit-based award for graduate work leading to a PhD in an applied physical science. The Hertz Foundation is highly selective and awards only about 25 fellowships each year. Candidates must have a 3.75 or greater GPA in their last two years of study and must complete several rounds of technical and nontechnical interviews.

"This is really outstanding," says Rempel's research advisor, Chemical Engineering Assistant Professor Manos Mavrikakis. "She is an excellent choice for this award. Her work is first rate. In fact, by the end of the summer, Jane will likely have published two papers, which is very unusual for an undergraduate."

Rempel's family emigrated from Uzbekistan in 1994. She attended high school in Brown Deer where she developed an interest in chemistry.

"Everybody in my family is interested in science, engineering and math," Rempel says. "My education was science intensive and math intensive. Chemical engineering proved to be a perfect match for me. I can combine aspects of science, physics, chemistry and mathematics and put it to good use."

Rempel is currently working on research related to the catalytic converters used to mitigate automobile emissions. She uses supercomputers around the nation to understand the catalytic properties of rhodium with the goal of finding a less expensive but more effective catalyst. She plans to pursue graduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.