From Fulbright to Goldwater: A milestone year for UND achievement

In pursuing ‘transformative opportunities,’ UND students and faculty win 19 nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships across academic year  

UND students and faculty earned a strong slate of nationally competitive scholarships, fellowships and international recognitions during the 2025–26 academic year.

Nineteen nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships spanning research, international study, language immersion and public service were awarded over the course of the year, said Yee Han Chu, UND’s academic support and fellowship opportunities coordinator. An additional five alternate recognitions and three pending outcomes reflect another strong year across disciplines.

Big achievements and global opportunities

Among the year’s standout student scholars was Casia Steinhaus, a Physics & Mathematics student who earned an exceptional slate of honors. Her recognitions included the Goldwater Scholarship, one of the nation’s most prestigious undergraduate awards for STEM research, making her UND’s fifth Goldwater Scholar. She also earned a DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and a DAAD RISE Professional Scholarship for international research in Germany.

UND also entered new territory this year through a partnership with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. For the first time, the University nominated two students for the nationally competitive scholarship, marking another milestone in UND’s expanding scholarship presence.

As of this week, Steinhaus became UND’s first Astronaut Scholar. The award includes participation in the Innovators Symposium & Gala in Houston, the Astronaut Scholar Technical Conference, and mentorship from astronauts and other industry leaders.

“Casia’s enthusiasm for learning, whether engaging in research or striving for a top finish in competitive small-bore rifle shooting, knows no bounds,” Chu said. “She brings an extraordinary level of commitment and excellence to every pursuit.”

Autumn Landwehr, a Physics & Chemistry student and first-generation college student in the McNair Program, continued her own trajectory of national achievement. After earning the Goldwater Scholarship and completing a competitive research experience at the University of Rochester in 2025, Landwehr was selected for DAAD RISE in 2025–26, marking both her first international research opportunity and her first trip outside the United States.

Faculty impact

Competing for scholarships is a team effort at UND, with dedicated faculty spending many hours mentoring students, supervising them in activities such as lab work and writing recommendations, Chu said.

“They are the special touch. They are the ones who elevate the student experience,” she said.

In particular, Chu continued, faculty help students identify research gaps, fully develop ideas and pursue outside opportunities the students may not have considered on their own.

“They are cultivating the next generation of researchers,” she said. “Their obligation is not only to contribute to the field, but to help shape the generation that will extend that research even further.”

Laina Behrenbrinker, a DoD award winner this year, agreed. Her own mentor, Assistant Professor Chonglin Zhang, “consistently encouraged me to challenge myself and continue pushing toward higher goals,” Behrenbrinker said.

“That support played a major role in preparing me for both this scholarship and graduate research.”

The real reward

When students are not selected, Chu said the process itself has value. Scholarship applications ask students to articulate their ambitions, define their purpose and reflect on where they want to grow.

“Once you embrace it and you experience it, it transforms you,” Chu said. “The lessons you learn from applications are lessons you can learn in life. To me, there’s no losing in any of it.”

For her part, Chu said that her own work is less about fitting students into a list of scholarships and more about understanding their ambitions and helping them find opportunities that align.

In other words, her approach centers less on promoting awards and more on helping students recognize what they’re capable of.

“I don’t promote scholarships, I promote people,” Chu said. “In helping students pursue transformative opportunities, I have found myself transformed in the process.”

Continuing UND’s list of scholarship recipients:

• Elise Stevens, German & Global Studies, received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to Germany.
• Joseph Quinn, Physics & Mathematics, earned a Critical Language Scholarship for Russian study and was named an alternate for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals program. In addition, was also recognized as a semifinalist for the Hertog Foundation War Studies Program.
• Ava Spaeth, Criminal Justice, earned a Critical Language Scholarship Refresh Program award and was also named an alternate for Korean language study through the program.
• Elisabeth Starosta, Biochemistry, was selected as a CLS Alumni Ambassador and received the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship Program, while Josef Starosta, Global Studies, earned a Critical Language Scholarship for Japanese.
• Two students, John Samuel Melting, Molecular & Integrative Biology, and Daniel Scott, Political Science, received Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships, continuing UND’s presence in programs that expand access to study abroad opportunities.
• Oluchukwu Sunday, Mechanical Engineering, also earned the P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship.

Leadership and faculty recognition

Student leadership and public service were also represented among this year’s honors.

• Jonathan Blankenship, UND Student Government president and a Commercial Aviation and Unmanned Aircraft Systems major, received the Western Governors’ Association award, adding to UND’s presence in nationally recognized leadership and policy programs.

Faculty and administrators also earned competitive international recognition, reflecting UND’s growing academic reach and global engagement.

• Marcos Fernandez-Tous, Space Studies; Yun Ji, Chemical Engineering; and Blake Klinkner, Law, each received Fulbright Specialist Awards.
• Art Malloy, vice president for Student Affairs, earned a Fulbright U.S.–Taiwan International Education Administrator Award. Mark Kaemingk, Biology, was named an alternate for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, while Aaron Kennedy, Atmospheric Science, is awaiting a decision on the Fulbright IIE Centennial Fellowship.