{"683638":{"#nid":"683638","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Two Georgia Tech Students Named 2025 Astronaut Scholars","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECharles Anderson, a rising senior in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Matthew Fernandez, from the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, have been named 2025 Astronaut Scholars by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). They are among 74 students selected from 51 universities nationwide to receive this prestigious honor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow in its 40th year, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.astronautscholarship.org\/programs\/astronaut-scholarship\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAstronaut Scholarship\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E supports exceptional undergraduates who are dedicated to pursuing research-oriented careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Recipients receive up to $15,000 for academic expenses, a trip to ASF\u2019s Innovators Symposium \u0026amp; Gala, and access to a lifelong network of astronauts, alumni, and supporters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECharles Anderson\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECharles Anderson\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnderson, an electrical engineering major, conducts research in the Bhamla Lab under Associate Professor Saad Bhamla in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. His current project, the \u003Cem\u003EEvapinator\u003C\/em\u003E, is a low-cost, portable technology designed to preserve biological samples without ultra-cold freezers or lyophilization. It offers rapid preservation within one to two hours, achieving recovery rates comparable to traditional methods.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough this work, Anderson is advancing biomedical engineering and global health, and he is eager to explore further research avenues that create accessible solutions for underserved populations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMatthew Fernandez\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFernandez, a 2024 Astronaut Scholar and mechanical engineering major, is continuing as an Astronaut Scholar this year and is also a recipient of the Godbold Scholarship and the Provost Scholarship. He is minoring in robotics and has worked on developing compliant limbless systems to create a robot with efficient underwater locomotion techniques.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFernandez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Robotics after graduating from Georgia Tech and aims to use bio-inspired robotics to enable multi-modal locomotion and the navigation of previously untouched environments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis award underscores the innovative work Charles and Matthew are doing at Georgia Tech,\u201d said Georgia Brunner, Prestigious Fellowships Advisor in the Office of Undergraduate Education and Student Success. \u201cWe are proud to support their journeys and see them thrive among the ASF community.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech students and alumni interested in applying for prestigious fellowships are encouraged to contact Georgia Brunner at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:fellowshipsadvising@gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Efellowshipsadvising@gatech.edu\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E or visit the prestigious fellowships \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.success.gatech.edu\/prestigious-fellowships\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ewebsite\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThey are among 74 students selected from 51 universities nationwide to receive this prestigious honor.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"They are among 74 students selected from 51 universities nationwide to receive this prestigious honor."}],"uid":"34760","created_gmt":"2025-08-08 11:53:15","changed_gmt":"2025-08-08 12:00:39","author":"Laurie Haigh","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-08-04T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-08-04T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677610":{"id":"677610","type":"image","title":"Astronaut Scholars","body":null,"created":"1754653363","gmt_created":"2025-08-08 11:42:43","changed":"1754653964","gmt_changed":"2025-08-08 11:52:44","alt":"Astronaut scholars","file":{"fid":"261523","name":"Astronaut-Scholars_0.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/08\/Astronaut-Scholars_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/08\/Astronaut-Scholars_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":789809,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/08\/08\/Astronaut-Scholars_0.png?itok=_I7sZm6c"}}},"media_ids":["677610"],"groups":[{"id":"660370","name":"Space"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193657","name":"Space Research Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Brunner\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:fellowshipsadvising@gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Efellowshipsadvising@gatech.edu\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}