GMU students recognized as Goldwater Scholar and Honorable Mention

I'm very happy to let you know that Philip Naudus, a Mason junior and double major in physics and math, has just been named a 2009 Goldwater Scholar. He has further distinguished himself as Mason's first Goldwater Scholar. Philip was home schooled here in Fairfax, where his family lives. He has undertaken substantial research, both as an undergraduate apprentice with Dr. Nathalia Peixoto as a mentor, and also with Dr. Indu Satija and Dr. Karen Sauer. He has also worked at the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST), plays the Bass in the Mason Chorale, volunteers in the community, and is active in other campus organizations.

Erica Porter, a Chemistry major with a Biochemistry concentration, received an Honorable Mention this year. In addition to her work with Monique van Hoek in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Erica was selected last summer to attend the AMGEN summer scholars program at the University of Washington, and she will be pursuing a summer clinical research opportunity at Harvard Medical School this summer.

We had two other strong candidates for this award this year. All four had impressive undergraduate research experience either on campus or elsewhere, and in some cases, both.

--- Deirdre Moloney, Director, Office of Postgraduate Fellowships and Scholarships