Rochester students win national awards and fellowships

From Fulbright awards to Projects for Peace funding, the honors recognize the scholars’ academic achievement, research potential, and commitment to service.

Each year, students and alumni from the University of Rochester earn merit-based external awards in recognition of their achievements in the classroom and research endeavors, as well as their community contributions through leadership and service activities.

The 2021–22 academic year saw Rochester’s second Rhodes Scholarship recipient in as many years, while two students earned Schwarzman Scholarships to study in China. They’re joined by fellow students and alumni working to make the world ever better through their teaching, research, and community-building efforts across the globe.

More than 200 University students and recent graduates applied for a wide range of national and international fellowship competitions. Nearly three dozen were selected to receive awards.

“Applying for a competitive fellowship is already a significant undertaking, but when you add the ongoing challenges, uncertainties, and anxieties related to the global pandemic, all the applicants deserve to be applauded,” says Belinda Redden, director of the Students Fellowships Office.

“While there are often many people in different roles behind each fellowship applicant, the achievements belong to the applicants themselves. Our office is honored and proud to support such outstanding, ambitious Rochester students and alumni in competing for prestigious awards that help advance them toward their Meliora aspirations,” adds Redden.

Nine earn Fulbrights

The State Department-sponsored Fulbright US Student Program aims to promote mutual understanding and peace between the United States and other nations through educational and cultural exchange. Students and college graduates apply for grants to study, conduct research, or teach English conversation and US culture abroad while serving as citizen diplomats in the host country.

Coralee Everett ’22 (molecular genetics)
The Bridgeport, New York, resident will head to Spain for an English Teaching Assistantship. Everett aspires to be a pediatrician, specializing in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Peri Goldberg ’22 (biology)
Goldberg, who is from Ithaca, New York, will investigate “the process of bacterial colonization and the resulting host immune response in the gut” at the University of Bern’s Institute for Infectious Diseases in Bern, Switzerland. She’ll also participate in journal clubs and seminars to broaden her microbiology knowledge before pursuing a PhD in microbiology.

Anna Groesch ’22, ’22E (applied music: cello, musical arts, German)
The St. Louis resident will undertake an English Teaching Assistantship in Germany. She plans a career that involves the teaching of both music and language.

Karlin Li ’22 (molecular genetics)
The resident of Acton, Massachusetts, will head to South Korea for an English Teaching Assistantship. After her Fulbright experience, she plans to earn a doctorate in public health.

Dylan Matvey ’20 (cell and developmental biology)
The Pittsburgh native will complete research at Charité Institute for Biochemistry and coursework at Humboldt University, both in Berlin, Germany. Matvey will work on a synthetic biology project to “establish a novel metabolic pathway in E. coli to produce a bioplastic precursor, glyoxylate, from CO2 and fomate.” Matvey plans to pursue a PhD and research career focused on synthetic biology to combat climate change.

Quinnlyn Murphy ’20, ’21 (T5) (political science)
The resident of Manchester City, Vermont, will begin an English Teaching Assistantship in Germany, where she spent a semester abroad in 2018 (Berlin). Following her year in Germany, she hopes to work for a nonprofit devoted to environmental protection or sustainability before embarking on graduate study.

Anne Rosenow ’22 (political science)
Rosenow will undertake an English Teaching Assistantship in Changhua, Taiwan. The Williamsport, Pennsylvania, resident hopes to teach elementary school students in Taiwan and volunteer in an urban garden while learning about local farming practices and national food policies. Afterward, she plans to pursue graduate study and a career in public policy focused on sustainability.

Lauren Sigda ’22 (brain and cognitive sciences, art history)
Sigda, who is from Larchmont, New York, will head to the University of Vienna in Austria to conduct research into the “neurological underpinnings of visual aesthetic preference” and complete coursework in cognitive psychology and German. Her Fulbright experience will be a precursor to doctoral study in visual cognitive science.

Caroline Stockwell ’22 (biomedical engineering)
The Westfield, New Jersey, resident will join the Andalusian Center for Microbiology and Regenerative Medicine in Seville, Spain. She’ll “investigate ways to improve radiation therapy for patients with brain tumors” through study of the mechanism of action of a Mesenchymal Stem Cell–based therapy. Afterward, Stockwell will commence her PhD in the division of pharmacoengineering and molecular pharmaceutics at UNC–Chapel Hill.

Three selected as Gilman Scholars

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program enables American undergraduates of limited financial means to participate in international study and internship opportunities, thereby diversifying the pool of students representing the U.S. abroad while advancing their academic and career goals.

Lisadine Cherubin ’23
Area of study: Health, behavior, and society (BA)
Country: United Kingdom

Justin Pimentel ’23
Area of study: Computer science (BS)
Country: Spain

Andre Tulloch ’23
Area of study: Health, behavior, and society (BA)
Country: United Kingdom

Irving earns Goldwater

Named after the former senator and presidential candidate, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship is a highly competitive national award for American undergraduate students in science, math and engineering who are committed to pursuing advanced degrees and research-oriented careers in STEM fields.

Ellen Irving ’23 (biochemistry and chemistry) 
The Penfield, New York, native aspires to earn a doctorate in biochemistry and chemical biology and to conduct research at the chemistry-biology interface, with a focus on protein engineering applications in human health, sustainability, or chemical catalysis.

Two students bound for Germany

The DAAD RISE program offers undergraduates from North America, Great Britain, and Ireland summer research internships at top German universities and research institutions. RISE Professional offers research internships in Germany to master’s and PhD students.

Nathaniel Webber ’23 (computer science and philosophy)
The Hingham, Massachusetts resident will be placed at the University of Lübeck’s Institute of Computer Engineering. His project is “human-centered swarm behavior.”

Maria Aguilera ’20 (MS) (chemistry)
Aguilera, now a doctoral student in chemistry at Rochester, is from Palmira, Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia. She will be in the RISE Professional Program at BASF SE, a German multinational chemical company with headquarters in Ludwigshafen. Her project involves the screening of adjuvants for delivery optimization of active ingredients.

NSF honors students, alumni

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports outstanding students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in STEM, STEM education, and social science fields at accredited US institutions.

Michaela Alarie ’21
Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)

Caroline Cardinale ’21
Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS) 

Katharine Chang (graduate student)
Area of study: Psychology (BA)

Emily Dudek ’19
Area of study: Brain and cognitive sciences (BS)

Jarod Forer ’22
Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS)

Amanda Forti ’19
Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)

Molly Griston ’22
Area of study: Physics (BS)

Shon Koren ’17
Area of study: Neuroscience (BS)

Unni Kurumbail ’18
Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)

Renee Niles ’19
Area of study: Chemistry (BS) 

Alexandre Trapp ’20
Area of study: Computational biology (BS)

Claire Wilson ’21
Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)

Diallo, Maiga plan peace program for Guinea

Projects for Peace is a global program that partners with colleges, universities, and other educational institutions to provide grants to young people who design and implement summer projects focused on promoting peace and conflict resolution.

Souleymane Diallo ’24 (politics, philosophy, and economics) and Abdoul Rasmane Maiga ’25 (computer science)
Diallo is from Guinea and Maiga is from Burkina Faso, both in West Africa. Their project aims to promote long-term peace and reconciliation in Guinea, which has experienced numerous political instabilities, violence, and social injustices.

Mawn receives public policy fellowship

The nonprofit Public Policy and International Affairs Program was created in 1980 to prepare the next generation of diverse policy and foreign affairs leaders. Undergraduates participate in the Junior Summer Institute, a rigorous, seven-week, graduate-level preparation program hosted by six American universities.

Wesley Mawn ’23 (environmental studies)
A resident of Northbridge, Massachusetts, Mawn will take part in the PPIA summer program at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He plans to attend graduate school and build a career in public service.

Ramos receives Rangel Fellowship

The Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program is a State Department fellowship program that supports outstanding American students from diverse backgrounds in pursuing master’s degrees to prepare for diplomatic careers in the US Foreign Service.

Marco Ramos ’19 (international relations)
The dual US-Mexico citizen has worked as a paralegal for a Washington, DC, law firm since 2020 and will attend Georgetown University on scholarship this fall as part of the Master of Science and Foreign Service program.

Read more