Four 麻豆原创 STEM students were selected from a pool of 1,256 nominees across the nation and will receive 2020-21 Goldwater Scholarship Awards.<\/p>\n
Only 410 college students were selected after a rigorous screening process. Universities are only allowed to nominate four students, five if one of them is transfer student. According to the award website, the Goldwater Scholarship program \u201cis among the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics and seeks to identify and support sophomores and juniors who demonstrate exceptional promise in becoming the next research leaders in these fields.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harvard, MIT, Yale and Johns Hopkins had the same number of students awarded a Goldwater Scholarship.<\/p>\n
The awards are not only coveted because of the money, but also because recipients are thought to have great promise. Many have gone onto receive additional prestigious awards such as Rhodes, Marshall, Churchill and Hertz scholarships as well as National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships to help them pay for graduate school.<\/p>\n
Awardees receive a scholarship to cover tuition, fees, books and room and board costs for a maximum of two years at their home institution. All four of this year\u2019s winners have worked with 麻豆原创\u2019s Academic Advancement Programs.<\/p>\n
麻豆原创\u2019s winners are an impressive group, each already making an impact in the areas of health, math, chemistry and space. They have unique stories about what led them to research and their career goals.<\/p>\n
Major:<\/strong> Biomedical Sciences<\/a> \u201cI was lucky enough to recruit Devin to work in my lab at Washington University in St. Louis through our BP-ENDURE program,\u201d Gabel says. \u201c\u2026 She has already made key insights into the genetics basis of this disorder, and I am looking forward to her continued work in the lab.\u201d<\/p>\n At 麻豆原创, Burris works with Bekker and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences Alicia Hawthorne, who call her a delight.<\/p>\n \u201cDevin has been resilient and has maintained her passion and excellent work ethic,\u201d Hawthorne says. \u201c\u2026 I look forward to seeing what she accomplishes in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Burris says she is thrilled to be getting the scholarship because it means an opportunity to continue her research and achieve her ultimate goal. She says her mentors were critical to helping her find her way and supporting her. She also says each of the programs she was involved in at 麻豆原创 and Washington have taught her skills that have led to her success so far.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to go into working on gene therapy in the industry because there are many opportunities to be at the front of medicine here,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Majors:<\/strong> Mathematics<\/a> \u201cIt was the only thing I can see myself being able to get up and do every day without getting dreadfully bored,\u201d says the Tampa native. \u201cSometime in high school, I developed a bizarre obsession with learning as much math and physics as possible and picked up the habit of trying to solve hard math and physics problems in my free time with variable success.\u201d<\/p>\n At 麻豆原创, his mentor helped him realize he could make a career out of his \u201cbizarre\u201d behavior. He says that while coursework is absolutely critical for knowledge acquisition, research is where a student can exert control over his or her education.<\/p>\n \u201cUnlike in coursework, where everything is manufactured and comes from a textbook, in research you get to have much more control over how you spend your time, what content you learn, and how you approach solving problems\u2026It can be very empowering to take control of your learning.\u201d<\/p>\n He also urges his fellow students to recognize their weaknesses and find ways to improve. For him, the Research and Mentoring Program at 麻豆原创 was instrumental in helping him get organized.<\/p>\n \u201cRAMP has been very helpful in helping me untangle and map out the process of getting from where I am currently at 麻豆原创 to my desired graduate program,\u201d he says. \u201cThey provide lots of support and assignments that help me plan my decisions \u2026 I am not a naturally skilled planner, so I benefit greatly from the extra support.\u201d<\/p>\n Major:<\/strong> Chemistry<\/a> \u201cMy career goal is to set up a company that will be able to provide everyday material at a minimal cost to people of third world countries, such as chemicals needed for the manufacturing of soaps, colognes, makeup, and toiletries,\u201d she says. \u201cComing from a country where everyday materials are not readily available even to the general public, I have made it my mission to make these materials accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n She knows it will take a lot of work to set up her own company, but that\u2019s why she says it is important to take advantage of every opportunity. At 麻豆原创, she says the AAP office was a great resource that led her to other opportunities.<\/p>\n \u201cWith this program, I was selected to participate in a National Science Foundation-funded research experience for undergraduate students at the Cornell Center for Material Science Research [at UF] this coming summer,\u201d she says. \u201cI have also conducted research at Georgia Southern University\u2026 and am a STEM Transfers Opportunities for Nurtured Growth Scholar and an American Chemistry Society Scholar.\u201d<\/p>\n Major:<\/strong> Physics<\/a> \u201cI spent a lot of time talking to upperclassmen in the Society of Physics Students about getting involved in research,\u201d she says. \u201cEventually, a few of them helped me draft an email to Dr. Bennett. Soon after, I started attending group meetings and training in the lab.\u201d<\/p>\n And that led to one huge opportunity. Last year she was selected as an Undergraduate Research Associate (URA) in Astrobiology under the advisement of Jose Aponte, an astrochemist and Research Associate at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She was supposed to be working in the Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory, which is the same laboratory that will be primarily responsible for performing analysis of the OSIRIS-REx and Hyabusa-2 asteroid sample return missions. The lab is internationally recognized as the leader in the world for analyzing extraterrestrial samples. Because of COVID-19, she was unable to perform research at Goddard in person, but she still managed to perform a high-level of research, with limited guidance, Bennett says.<\/p>\n Dove hasn\u2019t worked with Havel on any research, but says she stood out in classes and within the department. She often spoke to Dove after classes.<\/p>\n \u201cRiley is an amazing person, a stellar student, and invested in giving back to her communities,\u201d Dove says. \u201cShe\u2019s been actively involved in the physics department since she was a freshman through the Society of Physics Students and the Women in Physics groups. Her leadership and impact in those groups has been impressive. She has already made a lasting impact here at 麻豆原创 and will continue to do so as she advances to her PhD and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nUniversity Involvement:<\/strong> Burnett Honors Scholar, RAMP scholar, EXCEL, GEMS, and National Institutes of Health sponsored BP-ENDURE
\n<\/span>Career Aspiration:<\/strong> Gene therapy innovator at a private company
\n<\/span>Mentors:<\/strong> Assistant Professor of Biology Charissa De Bekker and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences Alicia Hawthorne at 麻豆原创 and Harrison Gabel, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Washington University Saint Louis School of Medicine in Missouri.
\n<\/span>Research:<\/strong> At 麻豆原创, Burris is working with Assistant Professor of Biology Charissa de Bekker looking at the genes in a fungus that infects \u2018zombie ants\u2019 and how they change the ant behavior. At the Washington University School of Medicine, she is working with Assistant Professor Harrison Gabel looking at the genetic basis of neurodevelopmental disorders. She is using computational modeling to understand how mutations in one gene (DNMT3A) can disrupt brain development and function.
\n<\/span>Advice for Fellow Students:<\/strong> \u201cBe proud of the work you have done. It is easy to fall victim to imposter syndrome in STEM, especially if you are an underrepresented minority. Once you become an academic, you realize how little you really know about the world. Once you become a researcher, you realize how little everyone else knows too, which in a way can be comforting as you pursue the edge of knowledge together.\u201d
\n<\/span>The Importance of Mentors:<\/strong> All three of Burris\u2019 mentors describe her as a rising star thanks to her intellect, hard work and grit, which explains how she\u2019s not only conducting research at 麻豆原创, but also at a medical school in Missouri. Burris received the National Institutes of Health funded BP-ENDURE Neuroscience Summer Research Program and began working with Gabel last summer and she\u2019ll be headed there again this summer.<\/span><\/p>\nSpencer Tamagni<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nUniversity Involvement:<\/strong> Burnett Honors Scholar, National Merit Scholar, member of the Research and Mentoring Program (RAMP)
\n<\/span>Career Aspiration:<\/strong> Teaching and applying complex math problems to physics at a university.
\n<\/span>Mentor:<\/strong> 麻豆原创 Associate Professor of Physics Costas Efthimiou
\n<\/span>Research:<\/strong> Solving problems at the boundary of mathematics and physics.
\n<\/span>Advice to Fellow Students:<\/strong> \u201cEveryone should do research and \u2018drink from the fire hose,\u2019 in other words consume as much content in the field as humanly possible\u2026 Go as deep as possible with subjects that interest you and do not hesitate to discard things that bore you.\u201d
\n<\/span>Take Control of Your Education:<\/strong> Tamagni always loved math and solving puzzles.<\/span><\/p>\nOluwagbotemi Akinsoji<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nUniversity Involvement:<\/strong> McNair Scholar
\n<\/span>Career Aspiration:<\/strong> To own her own company.
\n<\/span>Mentors:<\/strong> 麻豆原创 Associate Professor of Chemistry Fernando Uribe-Romo, Georgia Southern Professor of Organic Chemistry Karelle Aiken, UF Assistant Professor of Microbiology Willm Martens-Habbena
\n<\/span>Research:<\/strong> Conducting research with metal organic frameworks with a goal of creating rechargeable batteries, which will be a source of reliable electrochemical energy storage that emit less toxins into the environment.
\n<\/span>Advice to Fellow Students:<\/strong> \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to apply to these types of scholarships and opportunities. Even if you do not get it at the first, do not lose motivation. Participate and engage in multiple opportunities available on campus. Find things that interest you and make you happy and pursue the best you can.\u201d
\n<\/span>Paying it Forward:<\/strong> Akinsoji grew up in Nigeria and moved to Maimi Lakes in 2015. She\u2019s benefited from a good education, which is why she is keen on paying it forward.<\/span><\/p>\nRiley Havel<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nUniversity Involvement:<\/strong> Burnett Honors Scholar and member of RAMP
\n<\/span>Career Aspiration:<\/strong> Planetary Scientist, which could lead to becoming an astronaut, research scientist, a (NASA) mission leader or a professor.
\n<\/span>Mentors:<\/strong> 麻豆原创 Assistant Professors of Physics Christopher Bennett and Adrienne Dove, and Research Associate Jose Aponte at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
\n<\/span>Research:<\/strong> Using simulation of the space environment to study organic material produced and preserved in different areas of space and how they contribute to the origin of life. She has also been involved in designing parts and machining them, conducted quantum mechanical calculations and worked with ultrahigh vacuum instrumentation. She also came up with her own research project to perform spectroscopic measurements studying the interaction of hydrated salts with <\/span>simulated Martian regolith <\/a>\u00a0(created at 麻豆原创) and presented the results at the 2020 Division for Planetary Sciences conference.
\n<\/span>Advice to Fellow Students:<\/strong> \u201cFind a friend. My best friend Abigail Reynolds and I have always worked on applications together, discussed our aspirations in-depth, and challenged one another to be more intentional with our time as undergrads. I would recommend that everyone find a friend who has similar goals, but not necessarily similar interests and recognize the value that friendship can add in any endeavor.\u201d
\n<\/span>Secret to Success:<\/strong> Havel says talking to people helped her chart her path and helped build her leadership skills, which have helped her land impressive opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n