April 1, 2016

The Drexel Fellowships Office is excited to announce that two Drexel students have received the 2016 Goldwater Scholarship. A total of 252 students from across the United States received this award, which recognizes the nation’s top undergraduates planning to pursue research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.

Congratulations to you both!

Nicholas Barber (BS Geoscience ’18, Honors) is a third year geoscience student minoring in chemistry and President of the OUR Undergraduate Research Leaders program. Nick began undergraduate research experience in the Drexel Paleontology lab, first as a volunteer and continuing as a 2014 STAR student researcher. Under the guidance of Dr. Ken Lacovera and PhD candidate Anna Jaworski, Nick studied the relationship between grain size parameters and sediment transfer dynamics along barrier islands in the Delaware Bay. This experience was transformative for Nick, who then pursued a research co-op working with Dr. Jerry Mead at the Academy of Natural Sciences on a project to build a model of freshwater stream energetics. Nick is currently conducting research with Dr. Loÿc Vanderkluysen in the BEES department on the chemical evolution of the Deccan Trapps large igneous province in Western India. Nick plans to pursue a PhD in Geochemistry, focusing his research on trace element geochemistry. He hopes to study the evolution and origin of plate tectonics on Earth, with a focus on fieldwork in Southeast Asia.

Carli Moorehead (BS/MS Biomedical Engineering/Materials Engineering ’17) is a fourth year biomedical engineering student who will complete a Master’s thesis in materials engineering, under the guidance of Dr. Michele Marcolongo. Carli’s first experience with research was as a STAR researcher with Dr. Ken Barbee, studying the effect of nitric oxide on wound healing. She is currently conducting research on both bulk ceramics – studying strong magnetic fields can be used to engineer microstructure through co-ops at the Army Research Lab – and synthetic proteoglycans – as a student researcher in the Drexel Biomaterials Lab studying collagen-proteoglycan interactions. Carli plans to pursue a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, focusing on bioceramic-based composite design for tissue regeneration and drug delivery. Read more about Carli's research on the Drexel Materials website.

The Goldwater Scholarship was established by Congress in 1986, with the goal of recognizing the nation's top undergraduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of outstanding academic performance and demonstrated potential for and commitment to a successful research career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.

For more information about the Goldwater Scholarship, please email Dr. Meredith Wooten, Director, Drexel Fellowships Office.