DURHAM, NC – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded prestigious STAR Fellowships to three graduate students at 51±¬ÁÏ’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

Doctoral students Jessica Lewis, Simon Roberts and Kristofor Voss were among 87 students nationwide selected to receive 2012 STAR Fellowships.

The STAR (Science to Achieve Results) Fellowship program, launched in 1995, supports graduate-level research and study in environmental disciplines, with the aim of providing the nation with well-trained specialists able to meet society’s most pressing environmental challenges through cutting-edge research in engineering and the physical, biological, health and social sciences.

The fellowship program provides up to $42,000 per year of support per fellowship, including $12,000 per year for tuition and fees, $25,000 per year in a monthly stipend, and an annual expense allowance of $5,000.

Masters level students can receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students can be supported for a maximum of three years with funding available, under certain circumstances, over a period of four years.

Jessica Lewis’ faculty advisor is Subhrendu Pattanayak, associate professor of public policy and environmental economics.  Simon Roberts’ faculty advisor is Heather Stapleton, associate professor of environmental chemistry.   Kristofor Voss’s faculty advisor is Emily Bernhardt, associate professor of biogeochemistry.

For more information about the STAR Fellowship program, including 2013 application guidelines, go to .