Guest Contributor
Four University of Pennsylvania undergraduates have received 2024 Goldwater Scholarships, awarded to second- or third-year students planning research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.
Penn’s 2024 Goldwater Scholars are third-years Hayle Kim, Eric Myzelev, and Eric Tao in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Kaitlin Mrksich in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
They are among the 438 students named 2024 Goldwater Scholars from 1,353 undergraduates students nominated by 446 academic institutions in the United States, according to the Barry Goldwater Scholarship & Excellence in Education Foundation. Each scholarship provides as much as $7,500 each year for as many as two years of undergraduate study.
The students applied for the Goldwater Scholarship with assistance from Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. Penn has had 63 Goldwater Scholars named since Congress established the scholarship in 1986 to honor U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater.
Kim, from Knoxville, Tennessee, is majoring in neuroscience. She works in the lab of Matthew Kayser at Penn Medicine, where she studies the molecular basis of sleep maturation using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. At Penn, Kim is the co-founder and co-president of the undergraduate chapter of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, and was the internal vice president of the Penn Korean Student Association. She is a teaching assistant for the course Chronobiology and Sleep taught by David Raizen, professor of neurology, and has been a learning assistant and peer tutor for general chemistry. Kim is a University Scholar and CURF Research Peer Advisor. She volunteers for the nonprofit One House at a Time in its Beds for Kids program, and in the emergency department of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. After graduating, Kim plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in neuroscience.
Mrksich, from Hinsdale, Illinois, is majoring in bioengineering. She is interested in developing drug delivery systems that can serve as novel therapeutics for a variety of diseases. Mrksich works in the lab of Michael J. Mitchell where she investigates the ionizable lipid component of lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery. At Penn, Mrksich is the president of the Biomedical Engineering Society, where she plans community building and professional development events for bioengineering majors. She is a member of the Kite and Key Society, where she organizes virtual programming to introduce prospective students to Penn. She is a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, and the Sigma Kappa sorority. She also teaches chemistry to high schoolers as a volunteer in the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project through the Civic House. After graduating, Mrksich plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in bioengineering.
This story was written by Louisa Shepard. To read the full article, please visit Penn Today.