RIT students strike gold in math and science by earning Goldwater awards

Three RIT students have been granted what is arguably the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship award for mathematics and science. Jessica Alexander, Karl Martini Jr. and Katherine Varandas have been named 2009 Goldwater Scholars.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship is for students interested in pursuing a career in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering. The award is based on academic merit, and most winners plan on pursuing a doctorate. Alexander, Martini and Varandas are three of the 278 sophomores and juniors who were selected from 1,097 nominees.

Each of the RIT students was granted a $7,500 annual scholarship, which can be used for tuition, fees, books, and room and board.

Each student was nominated by a professor in their department. From there, Suzanne O’Handley, associate professor of chemistry, helped mentor the students through the application process.

Varandas is a third-year biotechnology major. She has researched cardiovascular medicine at the University of Rochester’s Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute since 2007. Currently, she is working with Burns Blaxall, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Rochester. Blaxall mentors Varandas in her research of the role of the novel gene mena in heart failure.

Varandas plans to obtain a doctorate in genetics or molecular biology and pursue an academic career at a primarily undergraduate institution. In her free time, she is a resident advisor and supplemental instruction leader for the academic intervention and mentoring program at RIT.

Alexander is in her third year of majoring in both biochemistry and biotechnology. She has been conducting physical chemistry research at RIT. She has been published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry on interactions between carbon nanotubes and organic molecules. Alexander has also done research through the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Currently, she is working with her mentor professor Christopher Collison in the department of chemistry on physical chemistry research.

Alexander’s dreams and aspirations include obtaining a doctorate in biochemistry or molecular biology with a focus on the relationship between stem cells and cancer. She envisions a career leading a biomedical research laboratory.

Martini is a third-year physics major who has been involved in research since high school. He has worked on granular materials at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, chaos theory at Western New England College and, since last spring, has conducted research in the RIT biophysics research laboratory. Currently, he is working with his mentor professor George Thurston on the theoretical electrostatic properties of Gamma-B crystallin.

Martini plans to obtain a doctorate in applied physics and conduct computational and theoretical research and teach at the university level. In his free time, he plays in the RIT Orchestra.