Urban and Regional Planning Ph.D. student, Nick Rajkovich was selected to receive a 2011 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship. Rajkovich’s research is related to understanding how weatherization can address both the negative urban heat island as well as improve energy efficiency for residential structures in older neighborhoods in Cleveland, Ohio.

GRFP is a critical program in NSF’s overall strategy in developing the globally engaged workforce necessary to ensure the Nation’s leadership in advancing science and engineering research and innovation. The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce in the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in fields within NSF’s mission. Fellows receive a stipend for 2011-12 Fellowship Year in the amount of $30,000. Fellowships are funded for a maximum of three years.