February 25, 2022

Congratulations to Drexel's nominees for the 2022 Goldwater Scholarship!

The Goldwater Scholarship recognizes undergraduates in science, math, and engineering fields planning to pursue research careers and with the potential to be leaders in their fields. The scholarship provides funding for their final year or two of undergraduate study. These students were selected to represent Drexel University in the national Goldwater Scholarship competition. We wish them the best of luck!

Sky Harper (BS Chemistry '24, Honors) is an undergraduate chemistry major with a biochemistry concentration who is pursuing an MD/PhD in the future. His research experience includes conducting research with the USDA, Drexel’s STAR program, and working in different labs at Drexel. The research has covered a range of topics from identifying amino acid sequences in proteins, working on a DNA sequencer for real-time analysis, plasma polymerization of acrylic acid, and cognitive neuroengineering, and other related topics.
In addition to his passion for research, Sky is also a Johnson & Johnson mentee, Bristol Myers Squibb mentee, Boeing mentee, registered EMT, and the President of Drexel Indigenous Students of the Americas. Along with these programs, he is also an American Indian Science and Engineering member and a proud First-Generation Student from the Navajo Nation.
He loves writing stories, cooking, and listening to music in his free time.
Sky has been involved in the Pennoni Honors College through the Honors Program, STAR Scholars, Aspire Scholars, and Supernova Undergraduate Research Fellows.

Nadia Bouras (BS Biological Sciences ‘24) is a third-year student at Drexel University pursuing a degree in Biological Sciences with a minor in Neuroscience. Coming from a very rural town in South Jersey, moving to a big city like Philadelphia was a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. Besides being a full-time student, Nadia spends a lot of her time doing neuroscience research at the Gao Lab in the Neurobiology and Anatomy Department of Drexel University College of Medicine. Her current research investigates a specific neurotransmitter, norepinephrine, released in the prefrontal cortex, and its implication in anxiety-like responses using mouse models. Nadia approaches life with intelligence, compassion, and a determination for success.
In her free time, Nadia can be found volunteering as a mental health crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line. She has helped over 120 texters from mental health issues like suicide, depression, self-harm, and PTSD. Through her volunteer work and research, Nadia is extremely passionate about making a difference in the mental health community.
Nadia has been involved in the Pennoni Honors College through the STAR Scholars program, where she was a Velay Fellow.

Trevor McCaffrey (BS Physics ‘23) is a junior Physics major and Mathematics minor in the 5-year co-op program at Drexel. He has spent his three co-ops trying to understand how quasars, actively accreting supermassive black holes, impact the galaxies they live in. After Drexel, he plans on continuing his research in graduate school.
Trevor has been involved in the Pennoni Honors College through the STAR Scholars program.

Sebastian Brunhart (BS/MS Chemical Engineering ’23, Honors) is a junior chemical engineering student minoring in nuclear engineering, with an interest in nuclear energy. His introduction to research was the STAR Scholars program in 2019, where he worked on the cryogenic system for the nEXO experiment with Dr. Michelle Dolinski. Now, Sebastian is collaborating with a group at the SLAC accelerator laboratory to design a purification system to remove radon from xenon. He has also completed two co-ops in the nuclear power industry and plans to follow suit with the third this summer. Upon graduating, Sebastian plans to continue working in the nuclear energy sector in the hopes of promoting carbon free electricity production.
Sebastian has been involved in the Pennoni Honors College through the Honors Program and STAR Scholars.

Special thanks to faculty who participated on the Goldwater Campus Committee, working with Undergraduate Research and Enrichment Programs to review and advise nominees on their applications:

Dr. Mary Gonder, Biology
Dr. Sujata Bhatia, Microbiology & Immunology
Dr. Michelle Dolinski, Physics

We would like to send an additional thanks to those faculty members who participated in anonymous application review, providing written feedback to the candidates.

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.

For more information about the Goldwater Scholarship, please contact UREP at fellowships@drexel.edu.