Three students named research fellows by the U.S. Department of Transportation

Three students in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences were awarded a fellowship in the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Eisenhower2L-R: Maria Lechtreck, Austin Svancara and Grace AlbrightThree students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham have been named 2019-2020 Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Research fellows by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.

Austin Svancara, Grace Albright and Maria Lechtreck are doctoral students in the Department of Psychology in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences.

Svancara and Albright are studying lifespan developmental psychology, and Maria Lechtreck is studying behavioral neuroscience. All three students are mentored by Despina Stavrinos, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and director of the UAB Translational Research for Injury Prevention Laboratory.  

“We greatly appreciate the support of the Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship Program. As a former recipient of the fellowship, I had so many great experiences with the program,” said Stavrinos. “Now, my students are reporting back to me the same types of positive experiences I had, so it has come full circle.”

The fellowship program is awarded to graduate or doctoral students pursuing degrees in transportation-related disciplines. The program works to advance the transportation workforce by encouraging future transportation professionals to seek advanced degrees and help retain top talent in the U.S. transportation industry.