Kelsey Pukelis
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2014
Kelsey Pukelis, from Aurora, Ill., is majoring in mathematical methods in the social sciences and economics in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Kelsey looks forward to a career in economic development and is considering non-profit work, economic consulting, research or teaching. The summer after her high school junior year, she had an internship at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. This past summer Kelsey went to Bolivia through the Northwestern Global Engagement Studies Institute study abroad program.
Kelly Marie Powderly
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2014
Kelly Marie Powderly, from St. Louis, Mo, is majoring in integrated science in the Weinberg College of
Arts and Sciences. Kelly plans to attend graduate school and perform her own research in a field of
science as a career. In high school, Kelly received awards for her science fair project on the effect of road
Sherry Chiu
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2014
Sherry Chiu , from Hsinchu, Taiwan, is majoring in cognitive science in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. She is driven to study cognitive science by her compelling curiosity of the human mind and to assist research by conducting her own experiments in the future. She also hopes to apply her knowledge of the cognitive sciences in situations outside the lab.
Morgan Carlton
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2014
Morgan Carlton, from Plover, Wis., is majoring in integrated sciences and chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Morgan plans to add biology as a third major this year. He hopes to continue on to graduate school and pursue a career in pharmaceutical research.He is specifically interested in developing treatments for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Valerie Chen
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2012
Valerie Chen, WCAS, from Scottsdale, Ariz., is majoring in biological sciences. As the first person in her family working for a degree in the sciences, Valerie has set a long-range goal to become an oncologist and participate in Doctors Without Borders. Last year, she was accepted into the NU BioScientists Program, which provides opportunities for 30 incoming freshmen to do independent research in the biological/biomedical sciences. Students learn basic biology laboratory procedures and how to write a research proposal. She did research at the Robert E. Lurie Cancer Center in downtown Chicago this summer. Olive Jung, from Foster City, Calif., is majoring in chemistry at WCAS and planning an adjunct major i
Juliette Stephanie Pirpiris
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2011
Juliette Stephanie Pirpiris, McC ’14, Industrial Engineering Minor: International Studies
Juliette was part of a team in her Education, Design and Communication class that designed and produced a screwdriver for a client at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Their efforts won a Communications Award at the Segal Design Center’s 2011 Winter Quarter Design Fair and the gratitude of their client. Her goal is to use new technologies to help people globally. As a member of the Society of Women Engineers this June she was scheduled to help with a “free 3-Day non-residential camp for girls going into 7th, 8th, and 9th grades to encourage them to explore careers in the field of engineering.” In the fall she will be a Peer Advisor for a group of incoming freshman (Class of 2015) during Wildcat Welcome Week.
Nicole Torosin
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2011
Nicole Torosin, McC ’14, Biology Concentration: Cell and Molecular Biology
Nicole became interested in a STEM discipline and research in high school when she did independent research on cloud seeding. One summer she was rewarded by getting a position at the National Center of Atmospheric Research in Colorado—the first high school student to work there. As a freshman at NU she began doing research in the Morimoto Lab winter quarter doing testing on genes in respect to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease. “I have been working through the RNAi of 134 genes known to control one of the stress responses and my goal is to see whether they also control the others. Once I find genes of interest I will test how they control stress responses in human cells.”
Rachel Scholes
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2011
Rachel Scholes, McC ’14, Chemical Engineering
Rachel is interested in sustainability and wants to use her degree in Chemical Engineering either directly through the business sector or through research towards that end. She is involved with NU’s chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World—a national program. Her team’s current project is the “Clean Energy Plan for NU.” One of the last projects was to be a part of the installation of a solar panel system on the roof of the Ford engineering building on NU’s campus. She was invited to participate in the Freshman Emerging Leaders Program, and she has continued her French horn studies while at NU and performs in multiple ensembles.
Kristin Palarz
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2011
Kristin Palarz, WCAS ’14, Integrated Science Program*, minor Spanish
Kristin's goal is to pursue a degree to help others either through medical research or by providing medical services to regions where they are unavailable. This summer she is participating in Northwestern’s International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM). Kristin tells that “ iGEM is a competition with over 120 teams from more than 20 countries. The project generally combines biology and engineering to develop a biological machine that can perform a desired function.” NU’s team has six undergraduate students. *From NU’s website:…highly selective curriculum of nature sciences and mathematics presented in small classes at an accelerated pace…”
Elizabeth Claire Mosier
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2010
Inaugural year for The Alumnae of NU's STEM Scholarship
Elizabeth Claire Mosier, McC '13, Biomedical Engineering
Elizabeth Claire's success in the Engineering Analysis classes gave her a good start towards her academic goal--to complete the BS/MS program in Biomedical Engineering. Her plan is use this award as an opportunity to do meaningful research. She is also participating in a campus activity Design for AmericaTM , please see a description* below, and she volunteers as a mentor in a program for middle school through high school students run by The Society for Women Engineers.
*About Design for AmericaTM from the Northwestern University, Segal Design Institute web site: “OVERVIEW Design for AmericaTM is an award-winning national design initiative using design to make local and social impact. Design for America’s mission is to create a national network of active designers and community members confident in their ability to create social impact through design. Design for America teaches human centered design to young adults and collaborating community partners and implements innovative solutions based on insight into human needs, rapid prototyping, user-testing, and interdisciplinary team work. Design for Americacurrently addresses national challenges in education, health, transportation and energy..."