February 7, 2024

Congratulations to Drexel's 2024 nominees for the Goldwater Scholarship!

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

Lindsay Hager
BS/MS biomedical engineering ’25

Lindsay is a fourth-year student pursuing a BS/MS degree in biomedical engineering with a concentration in biomaterials. Lindsay was a STAR Scholar in her freshman year, where she studied fiber disruption and vascular damage due to nerve stretch injury in neonatal brachial plexus palsy. She gained interest in cardiovascular engineering after her first co-op at Excision Medical. Lindsay became more involved with research during her second co-op, studying cardiovascular biomaterials in the Tissue Instructive Materials Lab here at Drexel. She hopes to continue her research career with a PhD in biomedical engineering, with a focus in biomaterials/biomechanics, diving deeper into applications for the benefit of cardiac patients.

Lindsay has been involved in the Pennoni Honors College through the Honors Program and as a 2021 STAR Scholar. 

Maya Levitt
physics ’26

Maya Levitt is a tenacious third year physics major with an insatiable curiosity and a special love for computational systems. 

Maya has been involved in the Pennoni Honors College as a 2022 STAR Scholar and through the SuperNova Undergraduate Research Fellows Program.

Abhishek Jeyapratap
computer science & mathematics ’25

Abe is a junior computer science and mathematics double major, with minors in data science and AI. His interests lie in the interdisciplinary applications of technology, particularly in fields like healthcare. Since freshman year, he has actively engaged in research, contributing to three different VIP projects. Later, he conducted computational neuroscience research advised by Dr. Yusuf Osmanlioglu where he applied graph theoretical and machine learning techniques on neuroimaging brain data. His work won first place at the 2023 AAAS e-poster competition. Currently, he is working on robotics research advised by Dr. Lifeng Zhou focusing on developing resilient, risk-aware, and trustworthy algorithms for autonomous systems.

Abe has been involved in the Pennoni Honors College through the Honors Program and as an Undergraduate Research Mini-Grant recipient.

Tarek Olabi
biological sciences ’26

Tarek is a sophomore student majoring in biological sciences. Since the beginning of his college education, he has developed a great interest in research and more specifically research related to human health and diseases. He is currently working in a lab in the Chemistry Department, where he is studying the effects of lipids of the fibril formation of amyloid beta 42 protein. These fibrils are the one of the most important molecules that are related to the symptoms that Alzheimer's Disease patients have, therefore studying the molecular interaction between the fibrils and important compartments of the neuron cells will help understand the biochemical mechanisms and pathological pathways of AD. His goal from these research experiences is to join an MD/PhD program and eventually become a physician scientist who is capable of translating basic research findings into the clinic to help elderly patients, who are suffering from aging-related diseases like Alzheimer's or even Parkinson's disease.

Tarek is involved with the Pennoni Honors College through the SuperNova Undergraduate Research Fellows Program.

Nisha Patel
biological sciences ’25

Nisha Patel is an honors biological sciences student with minors in neuroscience, psychology, and Science, Technology and Society. She ultimately wants to pursue a career studying the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis. Nisha has conducted a wide range of neuroscience research in the Stanford Lab at Drexel, McManus Lab at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Alhadeff Lab at Monell Chemical Senses Center, and Penn Memory Center. Nisha has been an active participant in the Pennoni Honors College as a STAR Scholar, Aspire Scholar, Supernova Undergraduate Research Fellow, and UREP Ambassador. She is also Vice President of the Neuroscience Society, Research Chair of the TriBeta Biological Honor Society, and a Steinbright Peer Mentor. Nisha is honored to be a nominee for the Goldwater Scholarship and hopes to encourage other students to get involved in research.

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

Ellen Bass, PhD, College of Computing & Informatics
Christopher Sales, PhD, College of Engineering
Peter Gaskill, PhD, College of Medicine
Ania-Ariadna Baetica, PhD, College of Engineering

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 visit the Goldwater website or contact UREP at fellowships@drexel.edu.