{"id":652902,"date":"2025-05-14T14:51:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T18:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=652902"},"modified":"2025-06-16T14:58:04","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T18:58:04","slug":"national-merit-based-awards-for-study-research-service-652902","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/national-merit-based-awards-for-study-research-service-652902\/","title":{"rendered":"Students, alumni receive national merit-based awards for study, research, and service"},"content":{"rendered":"

The<\/strong>y\u2019ll head to nations around the globe to pursue their academic passions.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

University of Rochester<\/a> students will perform research and volunteer service\u2014both home and abroad\u2014while others will further their education after receiving merit-based national awards during the 2024\u201325 academic year.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s recipients will travel to France, Germany, China, the United Kingdom, Tanzania, and other parts in between as scholars and researchers honored by prestigious programs.<\/p>\n

Meet this year’s honorees.<\/p>\n

\n

Derek Chien \u201925 heading to the UK as a Churchill Scholar<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Derek Chien \u201925, a chemistry and bioethics double major, was named a Churchill Scholar<\/a> and will pursue a year of master\u2019s degree study in STEM programs at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

The Reno, Nevada, native will undertake a master\u2019s of philosophy in biotechnology, another step toward his goal of becoming a physician-scientist.<\/p>\n

Chien is Rochester\u2019s first Churchill Scholar since 2009.<\/p>\n

\n

Four juniors named Goldwater Scholars for future careers in STEM fields<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Maria Ahmed \u201926 (biochemistry), Wimeth Dissanayake \u201926 (molecular genetics), Aashay Mardikar \u201926 (biochemistry), and Marvin Wu \u201926 (chemistry and clinical and translational sciences) were named Goldwater Scholars<\/a>\u2014the second time in three years that four Rochester students were selected.<\/p>\n

The scholarship honors undergraduate students across the United States who plan to pursue research careers in the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics.<\/p>\n

\n

Beckman Scholars will research in Rochester<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Maria Ahmed \u201926 was also selected as a Beckman Scholar with Dabne Herrera Guerra \u201926 (biochemistry and chemistry). Both will conduct independent laboratory research under the mentorship of select University of Rochester faculty over 15 months. The highly selective Beckman Scholars Program<\/a> is administered by the biology and chemistry departments, guided by three core values: research excellence, mentorship, and inclusion. Beckman Scholars will benefit from several professional development programs and have the opportunity to present their research at the annual Beckman Symposium.<\/p>\n

Ahmed and Herrera Guerra will begin their research this summer in the labs of Sina Ghaemmaghami<\/a>, the George Y. and Catherine H. Wu Professor in Chemistry, and\u00a0Michael Welte<\/a>, a professor of biology, respectively.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Herrera Guerra was named to the National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program<\/a>, which provides up to $20,000 per academic year to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research.<\/p>\n

\n

Nyasha Gwaza \u201926 receives Projects for Peace grant<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Nyasha Gwaza \u201926, an electrical and computer engineering major from Zimbabwe, was awarded a $10,000 grant from Projects for Peace<\/a>. This summer, she will run a project called \u201cSewing Peace\u201d in her hometown of Gwanda. The objective is to divert young people from engaging in illegal gold panning activities and the resulting conflict with local environment management authorities, using sewing instruction as a means of socially acceptable economic self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n

Projects for Peace encourages young adults around the world to develop innovative, community-centered responses to the world\u2019s most pressing issues.<\/p>\n

\n

Students, alumni chosen for NSF graduate research program<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Four Rochester students were selected for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program<\/a>, which supports students pursuing research-based graduate degrees in STEM disciplines: Carmen Marshall \u201925 (environmental studies), Natasha Vacca \u201925 (neuroscience), and doctoral candidates Amy Carolus (clinical psychology) and Alex Jasko (geosciences). Alumni Danielle Getz \u201923, Christopher Lu \u201923, and Rachel Young \u201923 were also chosen.<\/p>\n

\n

Kai Jia (Mark) Liu ’24 <\/strong>will study at Peking University as Yenching Scholar<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kai Jia (Mark) Liu ’24, an international relations and history double major, was selected for the Yenching Academy of Peking University Scholars Program<\/a>. Its mission is to build bridges between China and the rest of the world through an interdisciplinary master\u2019s program. The goal is to shape new generations of global citizens with a nuanced understanding of China\u2019s past, present, and future.<\/p>\n

\n

Students heading to Germany for summer research<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Eight students are heading to Germany this summer as part of the DAAD RISE program<\/a>, which offers undergraduates from North America, Great Britain, and Ireland research internships at top German universities and research institutions.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s cohort includes Marlena Berger \u201927 (optical engineering), Erhan Ertekin \u201926 (chemistry), Leo Liang \u201926 (applied math and computer science), Lily Matt \u201926 (environmental science), Katherine Neyland \u201926 (biochemistry), Misha Parikh \u201927 (computational biology), Ngoc Mai Pham \u201927 (data science), and Hanna Wang \u201926 (molecular genetics).<\/p>\n

Maria Lizarazo Rojas and Hailemariam Mitiku \u201923 (MS), doctoral candidates in chemistry, were named DAAD RISE professionals. The program offers summer research internships in Germany to master\u2019s and PhD students.<\/p>\n

\n

Gilman Scholars headed to France, Germany<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Princess Aniagboso \u201926 (psychology) and Alexander Bae \u201927 (microbiology) will study in Europe this summer as recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program<\/a>. Sponsored by the US Department of State, the program enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, offering skills critical to American national security and economic prosperity.<\/p>\n

Aniagboso is headed to Toulouse, France, to take a course called \u201cMasterworks in French Art, Architecture and Culture.\u201d Bae will work in the cardiothoracic-vascular surgery department at the German Heart Institute of Charit\u00e9 in Berlin, Germany.<\/p>\n

\n

Valeria Riviera Almodovar \u201926 will conduct research at Yale University as <\/strong>Amgen Scholar <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Valeria Riviera Almodovar \u201926, a molecular genetics major from Coto Laurel, Puerto Rico, will study at Yale University as part of the Amgen Scholars Program<\/a>. Undergraduates from across the globe participate in cutting-edge research opportunities at world-class institutions.<\/p>\n

\n

Carmen Marshall \u201925 earns conservation graduate fellowship<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Carmen Marshall \u201925 (environmental studies) is the recipient of a graduate fellowship through the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program<\/a>. The fellowship is designed to support and develop emerging leaders in conservation science, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Graduate fellows engage in mentored research aligned with conservation science and policy.<\/p>\n

\n

Rafael de Farias \u201925 headed to Tennessee with GEM Fellowship\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rafael de Farias \u201925 (physics and astronomy) will perform research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, this summer after being accepted into the GEM Fellowship Program<\/a>. The fellowship allows graduate students to intern in fields such as research and development. The Lubbock, Texas, resident will work in ORNL\u2019s Theory and Computation section of the Center for Nanophase Materials. He\u2019ll begin pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering this fall at Georgia Institute of Technology.<\/p>\n

\n

Lia Polster \u201927 to study Swahili as CLS Scholar<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lia Polster \u201927, a linguistics major from Shaker Heights, Ohio, has been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship<\/a> to study Swahili in Arusha, Tanzania. The program is sponsored by the US Department of State and allows American college and university students to learn languages essential to America\u2019s engagement with the world.<\/p>\n

\n

Sophia Samantaroy \u201924, \u201925 (MS) working in Egypt as Christianson Fellow<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sophia Samantaroy \u201924, \u201925 (MS) of Vienna, Virginia, is headed to Egypt to work with the education and development non-profit Coptic Orphans as part of the Christianson Fellowship<\/a> program, which funds young Americans with a passion for improving the world by sending them around the globe to support service-based projects.<\/p>\n

Samanataroy majored in environmental health and history and will earn a master\u2019s degree in epidemiology this month. Coptic Orphans\u2019 mission is to break the cycle of poverty in Egypt through long-term programs that focus on education.<\/p>\n

\n

Alana Eisenberg \u201925 selected for one-year community health service program<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Alana Eisenberg \u201925, a neuroscience major from Madbury, New Hampshire, was selected as a Project Horseshoe Farm Community Health Fellow<\/strong><\/a>. The one-year service leadership program provides relationship-based support to children, adults with mental illness, seniors, and other vulnerable individuals.<\/p>\n

\n

Six students, alumni earn Fulbright <\/span>grants<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Six Rochester students and alumni will be heading across the globe for teaching and research assignments as recipients of <\/span><\/span>US Fulbright grants<\/span><\/span><\/a>. This year\u2019s recipients are <\/span><\/span>Melisanda<\/span> Feliz<\/span> \u201922, \u201923 (MS); Alina <\/span>Liebschner<\/span> \u201925, \u201925E; Johnny MacMillan \u201926E (PhD); Isabelle Miranda \u201923; Daniel <\/span>Pyskaty<\/span> \u201925; and Ryan Rosenblatt \u201925.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Eastman students win national performance <\/span>competition<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Three <\/span>Eastman School of Music<\/span> students were among 11 winners for the 36<\/span>th<\/span> annual <\/span>Yamaha Young Performing Artists competition<\/span><\/a>. The event recognizes outstanding young musicians from the world of classical, jazz, and contemporary music.\u00a0<\/span>Eastman\u2019s winners are Kai Gray \u201927, a percussion performance major; Zachary Costello, who is pursuing a master of music degree in saxophone performance; and pianist Yanzuo Nicole Liu, who is pursuing a master of music degree in performance and literature. They\u2019ll perform this summer at Ball State University at Yamaha\u2019s Music for All Summer Symposium.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Erica <\/span>Sundermeyer<\/span> \u201926 awarded Astronaut Scholarship<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span><\/h3>\n

Physics and astronomy major Erica <\/span>Sundermeyer<\/span> \u201926 <\/span>is<\/span> one of 74 scholars chosen from 51 universities as an <\/span><\/span>Astronaut <\/span>S<\/span>cholar<\/span><\/span><\/a>. <\/span>The scholarship is<\/span> awarded annually to STEM students with a strong commitment to pursuing research or technological advancements in their field following graduation.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

This page was originally posted in May 2025 and updated in June 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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