Featured Fellows - National Physical Science Consortium

national physical science consortium (graduate fellowships in the physical sciences)

Bretta King decided early on she would have a career in the sciences. While other classmates agonized over math, she excelled at it. When Bretta was seven, her mother joined the Army, and the family moved from their native Mississippi to a succession of military bases around the U.S. and eventually to Germany. Summer vacations were spent traveling through Europe. After high school, Bretta returned to the U.S. and enrolled at Spelman College in Atlanta, where she earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry.

Bretta wanted an advanced degree, but there was no money for graduate school. A professor at Spelman told her about the NPSC fellowships. She applied and was granted a six-year fellowship sponsored by NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, CA.

Bretta studied first at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later at Howard University, and spent three consecutive summers at NASA Ames applying computational chemistry to atmospheric studies and molecular dynamics. At one point, she needed to take some time off from her studies and was gratified to learn that the NPSC fellowship would still be hers when she returned. "That's really unusual," she says. "If you have to quit school, even temporarily, the fellowship usually goes." She received her Ph.D. in chemistry at Howard. It was a turning point in her life.

Bretta had never intended to teach. But toward the end of graduate school, she landed a teaching assistantship and discovered she not only was good at it, she enjoyed it.

Today, Dr. Bretta King is assistant professor of environmental science at her undergraduate alma mater, Spelman College. She's still in contact with one of her fellowship mentors at NASA Ames. "In fact," she says, "he wrote a letter of recommendation for the job I have now." Bretta believes that while students benefit from the NPSC Fellowship program, the ultimate beneficiaries are the businesses and industries that sponsor fellows. "I would wholeheartedly recommend more businesses to become involved in the program," she says. "Their support means that more women and minorities will have the opportunity to choose careers in science, and to excel.

Learn about NPSC Featured Fellow John Foster, Ph.D.

"I wholeheartedly recommend that more businesses become involved in the program. Their support means that more women and minorities will have the opportunity to choose careers in science, and to excel."


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Fellowship Information Featured Fellows FAQ Industry & Lab Commitment Signatory Institutions Join The Consortium	Bretta King decided early on she would have a career in the sciences. While other classmates agonized over math, she excelled at it. When Bretta was seven, her mother joined the Army, and the family moved from their native Mississippi to a succession of military bases around the U.S. and eventually to Germany. Summer vacations were spent traveling through Europe. After high school, Bretta returned to the U.S. and enrolled at Spelman College in Atlanta, where she earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry. Bretta wanted an advanced degree, but there was no money for graduate school. A professor at Spelman told her about the NPSC fellowships. She applied and was granted a six-year fellowship sponsored by NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, CA. Bretta studied first at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later at Howard University, and spent three consecutive summers at NASA Ames applying computational chemistry to atmospheric studies and molecular dynamics. At one point, she needed to take some time off from her studies and was gratified to learn that the NPSC fellowship would still be hers when she returned. "That's really unusual," she says. "If you have to quit school, even temporarily, the fellowship usually goes." She received her Ph.D. in chemistry at Howard. It was a turning point in her life. Bretta had never intended to teach. But toward the end of graduate school, she landed a teaching assistantship and discovered she not only was good at it, she enjoyed it. Today, Dr. Bretta King is assistant professor of environmental science at her undergraduate alma mater, Spelman College. She's still in contact with one of her fellowship mentors at NASA Ames. "In fact," she says, "he wrote a letter of recommendation for the job I have now." Bretta believes that while students benefit from the NPSC Fellowship program, the ultimate beneficiaries are the businesses and industries that sponsor fellows. "I would wholeheartedly recommend more businesses to become involved in the program," she says. "Their support means that more women and minorities will have the opportunity to choose careers in science, and to excel. Learn about NPSC Featured Fellow John Foster, Ph.D. © Copyright 2004, National Physical Science Consortium.	"I wholeheartedly recommend that more businesses become involved in the program. Their support means that more women and minorities will have the opportunity to choose careers in science, and to excel."