2021 Goldwater Scholars Announced
Three College students have received 2021 Goldwater Scholarships, awarded to sophomores or juniors planning research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering: Emma Keeler, C’23; Michele Meline, C’22; and Max Wragan, C’22.
They are among the 410 students named 2021 Goldwater Scholars from the 1,256 students nominated by 438 academic institutions in the U.S. Each scholarship provides up to $7,500 annually for up to two years of undergraduate study.
Keeler is pursuing a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in biology. She conducts research with Frederic Bushman, William Maul Measey Professor in Microbiology, studying the newly discovered viral family Redondoviridae. She also conducts computational work for two projects within the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Division of Infectious Diseases involving S. pneumoniae and SARS-CoV-2.
Keeler is a University Scholar, Marks Family Writing Fellow, and a Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships research peer advisor. She is also editor of the Penn Bioethics Journal and founder and president of the Penn Infectious Disease Club.
Meline is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and biophysics with a minor in Hispanic studies and submatriculating to earn a master’s degree in chemistry. A recipient of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Challenge Award, her current research with Jeremy Wilusz, associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics, focuses on the biogenesis, functions, and regulations of circular RNAs in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae.
Meline tutors undergraduates in chemistry and math, is an editor for the UnEarthed Penn student-run publication, and mentors high school students through the American Chemical Society Scholars Program.
Wragan is majoring in neuroscience and minoring in chemistry. She was awarded Pincus-Magaziner Family Undergraduate Research and Travel Fund support for her thesis work exploring the role of microglia in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in the Eisch Lab with Amelia Eisch, professor of anesthesiology and critical care, at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Wragan is the co-president and founder of the Satellite Learning Program, a virtual service that provides free one-on-one tutoring to K-12 students for which she received the Student Creativity Grant from The Sontag Center for Collaborative Creativity.
Read the full announcement here.
