Kinesiology doctoral student Melanna “Lanna” Cox was recently awarded the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NEAGEP) Fellowship. Cox was nominated by her department for this award, which provides a stipend of $25,000 and full tuition for the 2017-18 academic year.

The NEAGEP program at UMass Amherst sponsors a number of activities to address the shortage of U.S. students, particularly underrepresented minority students, who receive Ph.D.s in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and become professors. The NEAGEP Fellowship program provides community-building, professional development events, and mentoring resources to help students earn a Ph.D. degree and become leaders in their fields. Students in the fellowship program are encouraged to consider entering the professoriate once they have received their Ph.D.

“Being nominated for the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Fellowship award has been such an honor. Aside from the monetary award, the true award for me is being a part of such an influential network of people that value diversity and opportunity for all students. Being supported in this capacity makes everything seem possible in my research, career and in life,” remarked Cox.

The NEAGEP is one of 26 NSF-funded Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate programs in the US. The NSF has designated the University of Massachusetts Amherst the lead university in the NEAGEP.

Read more about the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate fellowship.