Tag: undergraduate

Trisha Dalapati, an undergraduate studying in Julie Moore’s laboratory, is among 211 students from across the nation to be recognized as Barry Goldwater Scholars, earning the highest undergraduate award of its type for the fields of the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.

Georgia institutions had a total of six Goldwater Scholars. UGA had the highest number with three and was joined by Berry College, Emory University and Spelman College, which had one scholar each. Guy Eroh and Stephan George are the other two UGA undergraduates receiving this honor.

Dalapati, a junior from Roswell, is majoring in anthropology and biochemistry and molecular biology and working toward a master’s degree in comparative biomedical sciences. She plans to obtain an M.D./Ph.D. in infectious diseases after graduating from UGA. As a translational medicine researcher, she intends to investigate disease pathogenesis to create diagnostic tools for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children.

She currently conducts cell and tissue culture work with Julie Moore, a professor of infectious disease and associate vice president for research, in Moore’s placental malaria lab. She also analyzes data remotely with Moses Batwala of the University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health.

In addition to her research, Dalapati is a Foundation Fellow, director of the Lunchbox Garden Project, a committee chair for the Model United Nations and a member of the Honors Program Student Council, Palladia Women’s Honor Society and Omicron Delta Kappa. Dalapati received the best poster award at the Emory STEM Symposium and is an Indian classical dancer.

“The university congratulates Trisha, Guy and Stephan on this outstanding achievement,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “Our newest Goldwater Scholars reflect the tremendous strength of our students as well as the commitment of exceptional faculty mentors who guide and teach them. I look forward to all that these amazing students will accomplish in the coming years.”

Since 1995, 56 UGA students have received the Goldwater Scholarship, all of whom have been members of the Honors Program.

The scholarship recognizes exceptional sophomores and juniors across the nation. This year, awardees were selected from a field of 1,280 undergraduates and were nominated by campus representatives from among 2,000 colleges and universities nationwide. They will receive up to $7,500 toward the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board.

Of this year’s Goldwater Scholars, 29 are mathematics and computer science majors, 142 are majoring in the natural sciences, and 40 are majoring in engineering. Many are majoring in a combination of mathematics, science, engineering and computer science.

“I am so thrilled for each of these students,” said David S. Williams, associate provost and director of the Honors Program, who serves as the UGA campus faculty representative for the Goldwater Scholarship. “All of them richly deserve recognition by the Goldwater Foundation for their hard work and research excellence. I think it speaks volumes that they came to UGA from across the country because they knew about the quality of our undergraduate research program and the strong support that faculty members provide to our students.”

The scholarship honoring Sen. Barry Goldwater was designed to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. Since its first award in 1989, the Foundation has bestowed 8,132 scholarships worth approximately $65 million.

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Writer: Stephanie Schupska, 706-542-4975, schupska@uga.edu

Contact: Jessica Hunt, 706-542-6206, jhunt@uga.edu