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Past Scholar Bios

2010/2011 Undergraduate Scholarships and Honorable Mentions:

Shane Baldauf, Udall Scholar

Shane, a Boettcher Scholar majoring in environment design, decided to devote the time he would have spent working to pay his way through college to volunteering instead. He chose Habitat for Humanity as his primary site of community service as it is a good fit with his major. Flatiron Habitat is committed to using sustainable building materials, and this led Shane to think more broadly about sustainable building practices. He is LEED certified and he works as the junior program director for a program called HabitatPro to offer educational opportunities for green-building professionals on Habitat construction sites. He’s also started a social enterprise with a fellow AmeriCorps member called Bould, LLC. Through this company, Shane and his partner aspire to encourage other Habitat organizations to use green-building practices. His work with future Habitat homeowners has also instilled in him a strong commitment to social justice. He hopes to make sustainable building initiatives available to everyone. For the news story see: http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/7296ba54b17fa29f23b625d2014725b8.html

Ian Buller, Goldwater Scholarship

Ian is majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology. He plans to specialize in disease ecology to identify unknown diseases in remote areas, study their emergence, and design control programs. He aspires to discover previously unknown diseases. Ian has worked in Dr. Pieter Johnson’s lab since the spring of 2009 on the Amphibian Necropsy Task Force, where he is currently team leader. He has a forthcoming publication as co-author in Ecology. Ian is also a first year class advisor and and active participant in the President’s Leadership Class, one of CU’s premier leadership development programs. For the news story see:http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/3d5d8b700e02a2e114d955277aa2595a.html

Natasha Goss, Goldwater Scholarship

Natasha’s major is in chemistry. Among the remarkable things about Natasha is her age. She entered CU as a 13 year old, and her Goldwater award comes to her at age 14. I believe this makes her CU’s youngest Goldwater Scholar, and likely one of the youngest Goldwater Scholars nationally. Natasha plans to study the impact of climate change on the chemistry of aqueous ecosystems. Natasha is currently an intern at the CU Environmental Center, where she played a key role in CU’s submission to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Reporting System. This summer she will intern at INSTAAR under the direction of Dr. Diane McNight to conduct research on the effects of changing temperature on phytoplankton. Natasha is a CU Norlin Scholar, a interdisciplinary scholar community, among other awards. For the news story see:http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/3d5d8b700e02a2e114d955277aa2595a.html

Minh Than, Goldwater Scholarship and Astronaut Scholarship

Minh is working on a double major in molecular, cellular and developmental biology and biochemistry. Minh has the added distinction of being CU’s Astronaut Scholar in his junior and senior years. The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation funds exceptional students in math, science, and engineering. Minh plans to pursue and MD/PhD to investigate cancer with the hope of detecting and treating early oncogenesis. Minh has worked in Min Han’s lab on increasingly independent projects. A first generation student, Minh is an active member of the Miramontes Arts and Sciences Program at CU. For the news story see:http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/3d5d8b700e02a2e114d955277aa2595a.html

2009/2010 Graduate scholarships:

: Anna Leib, 2010 Churchill Scholar

Anna Lieb, Winston Churchill scholarship, Cambridge University

Anna Lieb, a 2010 graduate with a double-major in applied mathematics and engineering physics, will study applied mathematics and theoretical physics as a Churchill Scholar at Cambridge in 2010. Anna had the distinction of being named a Goldwater Scholar in 2009. She was a CU Norlin Scholar as well.

Anna’s future plans include working toward a doctorate in applied mathematics with the goal of conducting research in modeling problems in ecology and systems biology. In addition to her academic pursuits, Lieb has a full extracurricular life. She’s an avid outdoorswoman, a marathon runner, and a two time national women’s snowshoeing champion.
For the full news story see:http://ecadw.colorado.edu/engineering/news/CUE/2010/programs/am.htm
http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/447995fedf41b543572c20ae63929648.html

: Mitesh Shridhar, 2010 Marshall Scholar

Mitesh Shridhar, Marshall Scholarship, Cambridge University

Mitesh Shridhar, a 2010 graduate at the University of Colorado at Boulder, majored in both biochemistry and molecular, cellular and developmental biology. He will study at Cambridge University in 2010-2011 toward a Master of Philosophy degree in the department of pharmacology as a Marshall scholar.

Mitesh was been awarded a number of scholarships during his time at CU-Boulder, including the Boettcher Scholarship, the National Merit Scholarship and the Norlin Scholarship. Shridhar received research grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and CU-Boulder’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. He also was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society.

Mitesh has co-authored papers and worked for three years in the CU-Boulder lab of Distinguished Professor Linda Watkins studying mechanisms of pain. He’s also a competitive chess player.
For the full news story see:http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/4e703772e270b4287101935f1e5ff758.html

Congratulations to the following students who were invited to interview as finalists:

2009/2010 Undergraduate Scholarships:

: Kevin Fiedler, 2010 Goldwater Scholar

Kevin Fiedler, Goldwater Scholarship

Kevin Fiedler, a University of Colorado at Boulder engineering physics major, has been named a 2010 Goldwater Scholar. Kevin has worked in three CU-Boulder labs, most recently under physics Professor Uriel Nauenberg on studies involving the International Linear Collider.

Kevin also has the distinction of holding a Boettcher Scholarship and the Dean’s Scholarship from CU-Boulder’s College of Engineering and Applied Science. He is a member of the Sigma Pi Sigma physics honor society.
Kevin plans to seek a Ph.D. in physics either in the United States or in England. His career goals include continued research in quantum computing and teaching at the university level.

For the full news story see: http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/7f383523f6e0880b65918d5d4aec3513.html

Minh Trong Than, a University of Colorado student in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, has been awarded the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation award for his exceptional potential as a science researcher. His future aspirations lie in the intersection of clinical and biomedical research to improve lives.

CU was honored to host astronaut Richard Truly in the fall semester of 2010 to present the award to Minh. Minh’s other interests include chess, hiking, and tennis, all of which serve to challenge him intellectually and physically.

: Chayla Rowley, 2010 Udall Scholar

Chayla Rowley, a civil engineering major at the University of Colorado at Boulder who plans to work with tribal nations to provide healthy water supplies, has been awarded a national Udall Scholarship. She was recognized at an August 2010 ceremony in Tucson, Ariz., attended by policymakers and community leaders.

Chayla built and operated a small-scale water treatment system through her lab work in the Undergraduate Research Opportunites Program at CU-Boulder. Her fieldwork has included measuring the velocity of rivers, testing for chlorophyll and analyzing macro-invertebrate samples in lakes and documenting both the vegetation that surrounds bodies of water and the impact of humans on the environment. In the future, she plans to work with tribal nations in water resource management.
For the full news story, see: http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/bef0f9b9a7ada244141c1d4cbdf9c244.html