Aidan Billings, Molly Conway, Shannon DePratter, Parker Huggins, Shruti Jadhav, Vansh
Nagpal and Lydia Pless have been awarded scholarships from DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service. This
is the largest cohort of University of South Carolina students ever to earn DAAD funding
for summer research and internships in Germany. Conway, Huggins and Nagpal received
the DAAD RISE scholarship for undergraduate research, while DePratter, Jadhav and Pless will participate in
the DAAD RISE Professional program for graduate-level students or DAAD RISE alumni.
Why it matters
These programs combine cutting-edge STEM research, mentorship and study abroad experience
to connect students with an international network of experts in their fields. Participants
can choose from projects in a variety of STEM disciplines to bolster their research
skills.
What it offers
DAAD RISE provides opportunities for STEM students to research with Ph.D. students
at top German universities. DAAD RISE Professional participants may also be placed
at industry-related research institutions. Students receive a monthly stipend for
their contributions, as well as health insurance and a travel allowance.
Who they are
All recipients are South Carolina Honors College students or alumni.
![Aidan Billings headshot](/about/offices_and_divisions/fellowships_and_scholar_programs/images/2024/inline/daadr-billings_2024-300.jpg)
Rising senior Aidan Billings is a music performance and mechanical engineering double major. In addition to his
engineering research and Magellan Ambassador role, Billings is also the principle
second violin of the USC Symphony. He will work with a research group at HTW Berlin,
investigating methods for predicting commercial buildings’ energy consumption to aid
in building energy management. After graduation, Billings aspires to join the national
labs system as a researcher or pursue a career in academia.
![Molly Conway](/about/offices_and_divisions/fellowships_and_scholar_programs/images/2024/inline/daadr-conway_2024-300.jpg)
Molly Conway is a junior McNair scholar majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. Conway
will spend the summer in Erlangen researching the sphingolipid metabolism in the central
nervous system and its effect on neuropathic disorders such as depression. In addition
to research, Conway looks forward to connecting with other DAAD RISE recipients. She
plans to continue her research and pursue a Ph.D. in molecular biology or neurobiology.
![Shannon DePratter](/about/offices_and_divisions/fellowships_and_scholar_programs/images/2024/inline/daadrp-depratter_2024-300.jpg)
Senior biomedical engineering major and 2023 Goldwater Scholar Shannon DePratter will intern at Bayer Pharmaceuticals in Cologne. After graduating this spring, the
DAAD RISE Professional program will allow her to fulfill her dream of studying abroad
while gaining insight into her future career field, neuropharmaceutical research.
Following her summer in Germany, DePratter will return to USC to earn a master’s degree
in biomedical engineering.
![Parker Huggins](/about/offices_and_divisions/fellowships_and_scholar_programs/images/2024/inline/daadr-huggins_2024-300.jpg)
Carolina Scholar Parker Huggins is a junior electrical engineering major. He participated in the Natural Hazards
Engineering Research Infrastructure Research Experience for Undergraduates last year
and will spend this summer working at the Microwaves and Radar Institute of the German
Aerospace Center. His project will focus on novel multi-static synthetic aperture
radar techniques for drone-based remote sensing. After graduation, Huggins plans to
begin a Ph.D. program in telecommunications engineering.
![Shruti Jadhav](/about/offices_and_divisions/fellowships_and_scholar_programs/images/2024/inline/daadr-jadhav_2024-300.jpg)
Shruti Jadhav was named the 2023 USC Outstanding Senior Aerospace Engineer and is currently earning
a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. A 2023 Honors graduate, Jadhav received
a DAAD RISE scholarship in 2022 and is returning to Germany as a DAAD RISE Professional.
This summer, she will work at the Germany Aerospace Center in Göttingen to analyze
and process TSP images from wind tunnel testing. She will continue her master’s studies
at USC this fall.
![Lydia Pless](/about/offices_and_divisions/fellowships_and_scholar_programs/images/2024/inline/daadrp-pless_2024-300.jpg)
Stamps scholar Lydia Pless will earn a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology this spring. Pless was honored
with the Betty F. Fundenberg Undergraduate Biomedical Research award in 2023 for her
work in the Truex biochemistry lab. As a DAAD RISE Professional in Munich, she will
engage in microbiology research. Following her experience abroad, Pless plans to attend
medical school.
![Vansh Nagpal](/about/offices_and_divisions/fellowships_and_scholar_programs/images/2024/inline/daadr-nagpal2_2024-300.jpg)
Vansh Nagpal is a junior computer science and mathematics major. He is also the current president
of USC’s Minorities in Computing organization. The DAAD RISE scholarship will take
him to Hochschule Dusseldorf, University of Applied Sciences to research the use of
machine learning and different sensor calibrations for the study of autonomous vehicles.
Nagpal aspires to earn a Ph.D. in computer science and pursue a career in data science
or machine learning.
National Fellowships and Scholar Programs provides support for DAAD RISE and DAAD RISE Professional applicants. Students interested
in learning more should contact USC’s national fellowships team.