WID Scholar Award Winners
Since 1988, Women In Defense has awarded over $1,000,000 to 209 deserving recipients pursuing education toward a career in national security.
2024 - 2025 Academic Year
Stephanie Andress
Stephanie Andress completed both a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in mechanical engineering at Purdue University, and began her Ph.D. in the same program in 2022. Her research interests revolve around material characterization and fabrication with a focus on additively manufactured energetic materials. Specifically, her work involves characterizing the mechanical properties of these materials to better understand their behavior under different conditions, while also working to making the research and production process safer and more environmentally friendly. Funding from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command - Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM-ARL), allows her to pursue her research goals while contributing to the advancement of defense research.
Paige Berg
Paige Berg received her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. She completed her master’s degree in aerospace systems engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). She is currently pursuing her PhD under Dr. Robert Frederick’s advisement at UAH. As a graduate research assistant, Paige has led ground testing for various small scale solid and liquid propulsion systems at the UAH Propulsion Research Center. Her research focuses on characterizing different fuels for solid fuel ramjets. During the summer of 2024, Paige will intern at Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies Company, with the Ballistics Group in Huntsville, Alabama.
Noopur Bhatt
Noopur Bhatt is a second year WID recipient and Computer Science master’s student at Columbia University, specializing in security with a clear objective of obtaining her Ph.D. She completed her bachelor’s degree in computer science at Georgia Tech with highest honors. Her interest lies in pursuing research at the intersection of security, software engineering, and artificial intelligence. Recognizing the significance of technology in national security, Noopur is determined to make valuable contributions in this field. Moreover, she possesses an entrepreneurial mindset, aiming to leverage her expertise and innovative ideas to create solutions with real-world impact.
Michaela Hemming
Michaela Hemming is a fifth year PhD candidate in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Michaela's research focuses on how to bring rotating detonation rocket engines, or RDREs, into an application phase of development through characterizing injector performance in a novel way using laser diagnostics. When not doing research, Michaela spends her time mentoring young women in STEM through the Brooke Owens Fellowship and Iowa State University’s Program for Women in Science and Engineering. In her free time, Michaela loves to cook and bake with her husband using ingredients from their garden.
Angelique Klimek
Angelique Klimek is a third year Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering at Purdue University. Angelique earned two bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and food science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her doctoral research primarily focuses on developing and characterizing state-of-the-art energetic materials. Her research focuses on the synthesis of novel high nitrogen-containing molecules that possess performances comparable to or surpassing that of industrially and militarily used Royal Demolition eXplosive (RDX), while also maintaining or having increased mechanical and thermal stability, or resulting in energetic materials with performances exceeding that of CL-20.
Heajune Lee
June Lee is a Cyber Policy Analyst in the Office of the Principal Cyber Advisor to the Secretary of the Army in the Department of Defense. Prior to assuming her current position, June worked for Booz Allen Hamilton’s National Security Sector and the Tech and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in international relations, a minor in computer science, and honors in international security studies. In August 2024, she will attend Harvard Law School, with an interest in pursuing studies in national security law.
Gabrielle Watson
Gabrielle Watson is an accomplished Information Technologies (IT) Specialist at Army Cyber. Gabrielle earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), graduating Cum Laude in 2021. She will attend Georgia Tech in the fall, pursuing a Master of Science degree in Analytics. At Georgia Tech, Gabrielle plans to continue her research in deepfakes, a research interest sparked at UMBC and highlighted by a deepfake survey paper publication. Her certifications and awards include CompTIA Security+ and CySA+ certifications, and a Civilian Service Achievement Medal.
Jordanna Yochai
Jordanna Yochai is pursuing a Master’s of International Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs. She has served in both analytic and policy roles within the Department of Defense and has also conducted research for the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Middle East Institute, and the Wilson Center. Her research was published in The Iran Primer, The Islamists, and Peacefare. Jordanna graduated from the University of Chicago, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Near Eastern Studies and has traveled throughout Africa and the Middle East; her professional goals include improving security in these regions.