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Victoria Vo is a UNT student currently working on her master’s degree in biology and researching plant-animal interactions in the laboratory of Dr. Elinor Lichtenberg. Her thesis project focuses on how beetles pollinate plants, asking whether they are effective pollinators and if so, how they compare to other species. 

“I hope my work can help us have a better understanding of how plants reproduce. Whether for rare plant conservation or for agricultural production, I want to understand the role insects play,” said Victoria, who recently received an honorable mention from the National Science Foundation’s highly competetive Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) for her research work.

She was one of only two UNT graduate students, alongside environmental science student Mya Hardee, to received an NSF GRFP honorable mention this year, and both are part of UNT’s Advanced Environmental Research Institute (AERI). 

Kelly Basinger, award winning proposal writer for the institute, had a hand in helping students prepare their applications, organizing 10-week long GRFP writing groups to help demystify the proposal process and give students a clear, supportive path. 

“We focused not only on building strong research, intellectual merit, and broader impacts statements, but also on learning how to write with reviewers in mind,” said Kelly. “Seeing students earn national recognition and gain confidence in their ability to compete at that level is incredibly rewarding.” 

“It was my first time applying for a fellowship or grant, and Kelly was so helpful in navigating the intricacies of federal funding,” said Victoria. “I also met other students in the writing group who I keep in touch with. Applying for the GRFP can be very stressful, and I’m so thankful I had others to stress with!” 

Victoria has always been interested in nature, which originally inspired her to pursue Botany as an undergrad. After she graduated, her curiosity toward independent research motivated her to respond to the Lichtenberg lab’s call for graduate students. “I thought it would be a good fit since the lab conducts pollination research,” she said. “I think that my experiences at UNT will prepare me in a future career in research at either a field station or botanical garden.” 

After a year of developing her project, applying for funding, and working on her classes, Victoria is now starting the process of data collection for her thesis project. She is looking forward to presenting her work later at the Entomology 2026 conference in November. 

“Over the past year, I feel like I’ve improved as a scientist exponentially thanks to Dr. Lichtenberg. She is very supportive and encourages me to pursue opportunities like the GRFP,” said Victoria, who hopes to earn her degree within the next couple years. “Maybe it’s cheesy, but I think this truly was about the journey, not the destination. Even though I didn’t get the actual award, applying for it really helped me to develop my project.” 

Victoria’s successful journey has also included being the recipient of the JKG Silvey Scholarship from the UNT College of Science, as well as the Native Plant Society of Texas Ann Miller Gonzalez Graduate Research Grant and the Garden Club of America Summer Scholarship in Field Botany, both of which are funding her thesis research expenses.  

On top of her research, Victoria also runs the Lichtenberg lab’s Instagram (@lichtenlab), posting information about native North Texan plant and pollinator species. “I am particularly interested in science communication to give people greater appreciation for nature. I love making educational posts for the Instagram and teaching people at outreach events.”