Mary Sanchez-Lanier, center, with Mayumi Holly, left, and Nicole Clark.
PULLMAN, Wash. Two Washington State University undergraduate students are among the select recipients of awards from the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. They were among 282 chosen nationwide from 1,123 nominees.
“WSU places a strong emphasis on educating students in the STEM disciplines, and Goldwater applicants are top scholars who plan to seek graduate degrees and build careers in those fields,” said Mary Sanchez-Lanier, Goldwater faculty representative at WSU. STEM refers to “science, technology, engineering and math.”
Both Mayumi Holly and Nicole Clark are seeking bachelor’s degrees from programs in the School of Molecular Biosciences (SMB), part of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM).
History of accomplishment
Since 1990, WSU has had 15 Goldwater Scholarship winners and six honorable mentions. Holly and Clark are the fourth and fifth WSU students in the past four years to receive the awards, while four students have earned honorable mentions.
Every institution of higher education in the United States can nominate their best students for the Goldwater. It presents one- and two-year awards, with a maximum of $7,500 annually, to cover eligible expenses for tuition, fees, books, room and board.
WSU students with majors in CVM and the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA) have been competitive for Goldwater awards, said Sanchez-Lanier. Last year, three students were awarded honorable mentions – two with majors in CVM and one in CEA.
Sanchez-Lanier serves on the panel that reviews Goldwater Scholar applications nationally.
“It’s a pleasure to work with WSU students as they seek the Goldwater awards,” she said.
Nicole Clark
A 2010 National Merit Scholar finalist, Clark is a sophomore from Boise, Idaho. She credits her experience volunteering with a genetic counselor in high school with allowing her to “see research improve clinical outcomes, which has inspired me to pursue a career in laboratory cancer research.”
She is majoring in biochemistry/molecular biology and genetics/cell biology with minors in chemistry and music, and she is president of the WSU Molecular Biosciences Club.
“After earning my Ph.D., I plan to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at a research institution, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the National Cancer Institute,” she said. “I then plan to work at a research university as a professor.
“My goal is to perform molecular cancer research and to lead the next generation of biomedical scientists by teaching relevant courses and mentoring undergraduate/graduate student researchers,” she said.
Mayumi Holly
Holly, a junior from Seattle majoring in microbiology, plans to earn a Ph.D. and conduct research in infectious disease, medical microbiology or immunology with an emphasis on global health, as well as teach at the university level.
“In addition, I intend to become fluent in Spanish,” she said.
An international baccalaureate biology class in high school, excursions focused on ecology and biodiversity to Costa Rica and sailing through the Puget Sound, and an introduction to microbiology inspired her: “During an experiment to transform Escherichia coli cells, I realized I had a passion for microbiology and wanted to pursue it.”
More about scholarships
For more information on the Goldwater and other distinguished scholarships, visit the WSU Distinguished Scholarship Advising webpage. Sarah Ann Hones directs the program, which is part of the WSU University College, and assists students, faculty, staff and advisors on all matters relating to scholarships such as the Boren, Fulbright, Gilman, Truman, Udall and Goldwater.
Clark’s research
Clark went on cultural exchange programs to Israel and Jordan and taught English to Chinese exchange students.
“Intercultural experience will help me to promote communication and international collaboration among scientists, which is crucial for success in scientific research,” she said.
A student in SMB’s Students Targeted toward Advanced Research Studies (STARS) program, Clark will complete research rotations in three labs. So far, she has conducted research and been responsible for projects in two SMB labs: Professor Margaret Black’s lab focusing on nucleoside-metabolizing enzymes and Associate Professor Chengtao Her’s lab focusing on the mechanisms and regulation of DNA double-strand break repair pathways in human cells.
Clark received an Auvil Fellowship from the University College at WSU to support her research. She participated in the first WSU-wide Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA) in spring 2012.
Holly’ research
As a WSU sophomore, Holly volunteered in the lab of Professor Michael Konkel. His research focuses on the characterization of Campylobacter jejuni-host cell interactions with the aim of identifying and characterizing binding and entry-promoting proteins. C. jejuni, Konkel said, is the leading cause of bacterial foodborne illness.
Holly’s work, he said, will help to determine how the bacteria cause illness in a host.
“Volunteering in a microbiology research laboratory has leveraged my education by allowing me to see how scientific inquiries are undertaken and how the techniques I learned about in theory apply in more practical terms,” said Holly.
She has been on the President’s Honor Roll since fall 2009, was a WSU Mortar Board Freshman Scholar and received a Cougar Academic Scholar award. She received a scholarship from the American Institute for Foreign Study to study for 1½ months in summer 2011 at the Universidad de Granada (Spain).
“It allowed me to improve my leadership skills and explore my independence,” she said.
A fall 2011 general microbiology course taught by Assistant Professor Susan Wang and Clinical Associate Professor Phil Mixter afforded her another leadership experience. As the top scoring student in the class of 80 students, and with her enthusiasm for active-learning activities, she was selected to be a peer study group facilitator. She is credited with steering most members of her group to increased performance and helping others salvage their grades.
“The interaction between myself and the other members facilitated my learning in this class and taught me how to lead a team well,” Holly said.