April 10, 2008 — Portia Peters has been selected to receive the National Science Foundation East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) Fellowship. The EAPSI program offers U.S. graduate students in science and engineering the opportunity to study abroad with leading researchers in East Asian countries (Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, or Taiwan) for 8 weeks during the summer of 2008. Portia will conduct research at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Sagamihara, the Japanese equivalent of NASA.  Portia’s research will involve vibration suppression in composite materials. NSF awarded 192 fellowships after receiving 537 applications. Portia is a 3rd-year PhD candidate in the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. She performs her research in USC's Gill  Foundation Composites  Center under the guidance of Prof. Steven Nutt.