Two Scripps College students have been awarded prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships in recognition of their outstanding potential and intent to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. Rayna Brooks (’06), a double major in biology and psychology, and Katharine Shultis (’07), a double major in mathematics and chemistry, will each receive a generous scholarship grant to help fund their graduate education.
Rayna Brooks’s undergraduate research has focused on the biological basis of autism beyond the scope of psychology. She has based her work on previous research, which indicates that the reelin-deficient (+/rl) mutant mouse may provide a suitable model for autism. This summer, Brooks will be working with Dr. C. Sue Carter at the University of Illinois at Chicago to further investigate this issue. Specifically, she will be performing neuroanatomical analyses on reelin-deficient and control mice in order to determine what structural differences exist between them and how these differences may underlie the cause of autism.
Interested in math and science since early childhood, Katharine Shultis has continued to explore these fields in her academics and summer research at Scripps College. Through a study abroad program, Budapest Semesters in Mathematics, she had the opportunity to learn from Hungarian mathematicians. Summer research with chemistry professor Mary Hatcher-Skeers in the Joint Science Department last summer enabled her to study DNA dynamics using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. This research will provide a focal point for her senior thesis. This summer, Shultis will participate in a research program at Mt. Holyoke College as she explores a subfield of number theory. Although she has not determined whether she will pursue mathematics or a scientific field, Shultis is dedicated to obtaining her Ph.D. and hopes to eventually become a professor at a liberal arts college.
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate. The purpose of the Foundation is to encourage excellence in mathematics, science and engineering by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields.