Contact: Phil Hearn
Frances D. Carter
A Mississippi State graduate student in physics is receiving a 2004-2005 National Science Foundation Graduate Research fellowship to help finance her continued work toward a doctorate.
This fall, Sardis native Frances D. Carter will seek a doctorate in applied physics, with an emphasis in fiber nonlinear optics, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. NSF Fellows receive a monthly stipend, tuition and travel expenses over three to five years.
The federal agency awards the coveted graduate fellowships in science, mathematics and engineering for full-time study leading to advanced degrees to individuals who have demonstrated ability and special aptitude in those areas.
"The research experience in theoretical and experimental fiber optic analysis that I've gained at MSU, as well as the resources supplied by the NSF fellowship, provide a great foundation for me to successfully complete my Ph.D," said Carter, who is completing a master's degree in physics at MSU this summer.
She thanked physics professors David Monts and John Foley, and mechanical engineering professor George Adebiyi--"my scientific mentors"--for encouraging her to apply.
"Frances is a determined and highly motivated lady," said Adebiyi. "The fellowship is very competitive and one must be a very strong candidate to win. The award is portable, which allows her to get her Ph.D. wherever she chooses. But, I see her as a potential future faculty member at MSU."
A 1995 graduate of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus, Carter subsequently earned bachelor's degrees in physics and mechanical engineering in 2000, respectively, from Spelman College and Georgia Tech University. Before entering MSU, she worked for Corning Inc. in New York and North Carolina.
She is the daughter of Regina Carter-Gray of Walls and Frank Carter of Sardis.