UTEP Doctoral Student has been Awarded a Fellowship to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

MATTHEW EUZARRAGA | February 26, 2018

Prya Darshni

An electrical and computer engineering Doctoral Student from The University of Texas at El Paso has been awarded a graduate fellowship to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Prya Darshni is one of 10 foreign national students to receive internal JPL funding and the distinction to conduct research alongside NASA scientists. The selection process is highly competitive and candidates are selected by the deputy director of the JPL program and the education office at The NASA JPL. Darshni will work with other scientists from January to September researching Quasistatic sources, sensors for navigation, Magneto-electric sources and sensors for imaging and navigation.

"I love working with electromagnetics, and I am filled with a sense of gratitude and thankfulness to all my teachers," said Darshni. "I also express my heartfelt thanks to the UTEP Graduate School and all the faculty and staff within the College of engineering.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center managed by The California Institute of Technology (Caltech), a leading center for robotic exploration of the solar system. The JPL Education Office works closely with NASA and Caltech, as well as educational organizations and institutions to offer internships for students of diverse backgrounds and in various stages of their education.

Darshni expressed gratitude at the knowledge she gleaned from Raymond Rumpf, Ph.D., associate professor and Schellenger Professor in Electrical Research in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

"One must be gifted to work under Dr. Rumpf, a great teacher and a wonderful human being, everything he does is cutting-edge and he makes us all dare mighty things," Darshni said.