David M. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship

Nikhi Boggavarapu
Nikhi is a third-year double major in Biotechnology & Molecular Bioscience and Bioinformatics & Computational Biology. She serves as president of the Biotech Club, secretary of the Bioinformatics Club, and mentors first-year biotechnology students. As a TA for Molecular Biology Lab, she supports hands-on learning. Her passion lies in research on antibiotic resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, combining lab and computational methods—a path she hopes to pursue beyond RIT.

Lorelei Robinson
Lorelei, a Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience major, has been involved in research at RIT and beyond. She studies bacterial protein glycosylation mutants' responses to antibiotics under Dr. Stefan Schulze, has explored Arctic climate change in Denmark and Greenland, and volunteers at a bird banding station on Lake Ontario. A member of RIT's Swim and Dive team, she also serves on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and organizes team volunteer activities. Lorelei plans to pursue graduate studies in avian molecular biology and physiology, focusing on the impacts of climate change.

Lilly Rowland
Lilly is a third-year Bioinformatics BS/MS and Computer Science BS student passionate about applying machine learning and data science to biological analysis. She helped organize Relay for Life—RIT’s largest student-run event—which raised nearly $80,000 last year. She also supports Women in Computing and the College of Science Peer Mentoring program. After graduation, she hopes to drive innovation in bioinformatics while continuing her advocacy for cancer research and STEM representation.

Maleah Sena
Maleah is a Biotechnology and Biochemistry double major with an interest in how algae and plants respond to changing environments. At RIT, Maleah is a teaching assistant, tutor, lab technician assistant, and notetaker, but her primary interest is research. She investigates how green algae respond to salt pollution on a molecular level. She plans to pursue a career in molecular biology research and teach at the college level to continue making an impact on the scientific and broader community.

April Soule
April is a biology major with a passion for wildlife conservation. She conducts research on migrating songbirds, has interned at Seneca Park Zoo, and volunteers at a local animal shelter. On campus, she works as a lab technician assistant in the biology department, an office assistant in the College of Science, and a teaching assistant for Comparative Animal Physiology and Microbiology. After graduation, April plans to pursue a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Ecology, continuing her focus on wildlife research.

Ren Staggs
Ren is an Environmental Science BS/MS student studying microplastic fate in the shoreline of an experimental lake. Ren is a part of the pELAstics project, an international research project seeking to understand the fate and effects of microplastics on freshwater ecosystems. On campus, Ren is a part of the RIT Collaborative for Plastics and the Environment, and he works as a peer mentor for the Invasive Species Environmental Science Capstone Project. After graduation, Ren plans to apply to PhD programs to pursue a career in environmental research."

Skye Bixler
Skye is a BS/MS student pursuing Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience and Bioinformatics. At RIT, Skye is a tutor, learning assistant, notetaker, and lab technician assistant, but her primary passion is research. She investigates the viral impacts of VSV on the innate immune system to identify potential therapies for prostate cancer. Looking forward, Skye plans to continue her virology research by integrating computer science and biology through machine learning molecular dynamic simulations.

Jordan Magurk
Jordan is a Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience major who has worked for both the Laboratory Support Team and New Student Orientation during her time at RIT. She has been involved in biological research both on and off campus, spending a summer at the Trudeau Institute and a semester abroad in Patagonia. She is interested in pursuing a career in immunology and allergy research.

Maggie Muldoon
Maggie is graduating with a BS in Environmental Science. At RIT she has served on the Executive Board of the COS Ambassadors and COS Student Activities Board, striving to strengthen the community. Maggie participated in summer research, studying the impact of invasive species on wetland birds on campus. She is currently spending her last semester in Australia and hopes to continue traveling to learn about environmental issues and sustainability in the future.

Autumn Potts
Autumn is an Environmental Science BS/MS major who is interested in the human behavior aspects of sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. She serves the greater Rochester community by providing and participating in experiential education opportunities to underserved youth. Following graduation, Autumn hopes to continue fostering a love for the sciences in children while also contributing to the knowledge of the larger scientific community.

Jack Smerczynski
Jack is a 4th-year Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience honors student who is interested in pursuing a career in eukaryotic immunology and identifying biomarkers to measure inflammation whether it be diabetes, liver disease, or viral infection. Jack is an integral part of Dr. Maureen Ferran's viral genetics laboratory where he investigates Vesicular Stomatitis Virus's ability to serve as a cancer-killing agent. Jack is the Teaching Assistant for Advanced Immunology where he helps students with immunoassays, mouse models, and culturing immune cells. Whether it be through Jack's Resident Advisor or COSSAB Secretary role, Jack is passionate about helping students get involved in their community. Jack enjoys the project-based coursework in GSOLS and likes how his peers and faculty members are inclusive and supportive of his goals.

Kelly Frost
Kelly is a Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience major. She has been active in Student Life on campus. She loves the opportunities to engage in both science education as well as pursuing her interests in the arts community on campus. Kelly is the acting president of the BioTech Club and enjoys working with students and alumni to discuss scientific topics and news.

Elle Holland
Elle is a Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience major who is planning to go into Genetic Counseling. She loves the emphasis RIT puts on innovation and collaboration both inside and outside of the classroom and appreciates the opportunity she has been given to collaborate with other students and faculty in order to build her knowledge and skills. Outside of the classroom, Elle is a volunteer for her hometown's 'Challenger' program which engages children to learn baseball skills one on one.

Faatihah Nayeem
Faatihah is a Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience major who is interested in pursuing an MD with a focus on vaccine development and bio-defense drugs as well as becoming an advocate for public policy, social justice, and medical equality. While at RIT, Faatihah has been actively involved with the ALANA community and the Muslim Student Association, recently helping to raise funds for the recent Türkiye/ Syrian earthquake relief efforts.

Zach Thierman
Zach is a Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience major. His favorite part of being an RIT student is the relationships he has created with his professors as well as mentoring other students through the Honors Program Mentoring Program and organizing the ‘De-stress Events’ at the College of Science. After graduation, Zach plans to get industry experience before returning to school for an advanced degree.

Lauren Walter
Lauren is a Biology major who loves being a part of the RIT community whether in the classroom, the lab, or out in the field. She recently cofounded Birding at RIT, an official campus chapter of the National Audubon Society. As a result, "we’re working on making campus a better habitat for birds." Going forward, Lauren would like to pursue a career pertaining to conservation biology, reserve management, and/or educational outreach.

Vanessa Baker
Vanessa is a third-year environmental science major fascinated with open water systems and wetlands. Her ultimate goal is to become a coastal ecologist, giving her the flexibility to work in both ecosystems. Working with Dr. Christy Tyler, Vanessa is researching how the fate of plastic is impacted by zebra mussel accumulation. She also studied sand dredging and its impact on macrobenthic diversity on a sand shoal during a Louisiana Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). This exposure to marine biology helped her discover an interest in working in a coastal setting. 

Thomas Murphy
Thomas is a fourth-year student double majoring in biotechnology and molecular bioscience, and biomedical engineering. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. to study immunology and infectious diseases and work in academic research in the future. As a mentor for the RIT Honors Program, Thomas worked with approximately 30 new students over the past three years. Watching the students get involved in research and other extracurricular activities around RIT was very exciting for Thomas. He found it very rewarding to watch them evolve from nervous high school students to thriving college adults. He says mentoring is probably the part he will miss most about RIT. Thomas found a community at RIT, especially in the Honors Program, and loves the people that he’s gotten to know over the past few years. 

Gabriella Orfanides
Gabriella is a third-year biology major who loves animals. She is very interested in animal physiology, wildlife health and disease/parasitology, and conservation genomics. Gabriella plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biological sciences with a molecular-biology-driven research focus and wants to teach at the college level in her own lab someday. "I like to say that my first true love is and always will be molecular biology, and I hope to be able to work in a setting someday that allows me to use molecular-based techniques to learn about macro-level issues in biology." As a Teaching Assistant and a biology notetaker for The National Technical Institute for The Deaf (NTID) at RIT, Gabriella says it's been eye-opening to see things from a professors' point of view, and it's been rewarding to help others understand. And as a part of her involvement in the RIT Honors Program, Gabriella is proud of her work as a volunteer working at a nature center near her hometown and participating in a variety of other volunteering opportunities on campus. As a student researcher in Dr. Susan Pagano's lab, Gabriella has performed differential leukocyte counts for migratory birds. 

Marissa Schroeter
Marissa is a fourth-year student double majoring in biotechnology and molecular bioscience, and biomedical sciences. She is interviewing for Immunology Ph.D. programs and has a strong research interest in host-pathogen interactions, particularly in parasitic diseases. After spending a year as vice-president, Marissa is now president of the RIT Biotech Club and is proud of her contributions. Her time at RIT helped Marissa develop her interests and career goals, and she enjoys assisting others to do the same by doing outreach work with students. Marissa has also enjoyed working as a Teaching Assistant and tutor for several classes. Since she was a freshman, Marissa has been working in Dr. André Hudson's lab on discovering novel antibiotic compounds. Since her junior year, she has also worked in Dr. Bolaji Thomas's lab on an immunogenetics project. "These experiences have shaped my career as a student, and my success at RIT would not have been possible without them." 

Julia Steele
Julia is a fourth-year student double majoring in biotechnology and molecular bioscience, and biomedical sciences. After graduation, she will enter a Ph.D. program in biomedical sciences, where she hopes to study immunology, specifically immunotherapies and tumor immunology. Julia's most valuable experience at RIT was being a Learning Assistant (LA). "Not only is it an amazing opportunity to teach people the subjects you're passionate about, but it's rewarding to feel like you've had an impact and to watch other students succeed." Not only did she help teach students in the classroom, but she also helped advise them on navigating their way through the undergraduate curriculum, adjusting to life away at college, and finding the school-life balance. Julia's favorite part of RIT is the community full of amazing people, clubs, and extracurriculars. "I have made lifelong friendships and found an extracurricular for almost every one of my interests!" She has attended seminars featuring successful scientists and participated in weekly discussions with other students who share her academic interests in the biotechnology club. 

Virginia Aswad
Virginia is a fourth-year biotechnology and molecular bioscience major who has been heavily involved in research, teaching opportunities, and extracurricular activities. Virginia was first introduced to academic research while assisting in a project in Dr. Irene Evan’s laboratory to validate a breast cancer molecular agent. Virginia then went on to join Dr. Eli Borrego's laboratory for a research project focused on the effect of bioplastic degradation products on plant immunity and defense. The experience helped her learn how to conduct independent research, problem solve, collect and analyze data, and plan the next steps for a project. The following year, she worked with Dr. Borrego, and other students submitted a research proposal involving a cyanobacterial treatment of Arabidopsis to NASA's Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science. She also assisted Dr. Kaitlin Stack Whitney with conducting environmental research focused on highway roadside pollinating plants and insects.

Safiya Gazali
Safiya is a third-year biology major who finds research inspiring because she learns new things daily, hones her problem-solving skills, and challenges herself through hands-on experiences. As a McNair Scholar, Safiya is a student researcher in the Hudson Lab, where she conducts a comparative structural analysis of bacterial and fungal cellulases using homology modeling. She presented her findings at the 2020 RIT Symposium. She feels honored to work in Dr. Hudson's laboratory and is proud of the scientific research she conducted and presented at the symposium. Safiya has always been actively involved in RIT's culture and has been an active member of the African Latin American Native Association (ALANA) and the Muslim Students Association (MSA). In the last two years, she has served as an Event Coordinator and Vice-Chair on the Student Advisory Board of the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and continues as a Leaders Encouraging Achievement and Pride (LEAP) Mentor for HEOP. Also, she has conducted demonstrations of scientific experiments for Girls in Stem students, grades K-12, and for the Imagine RIT showcase.

Rachael Hoh
Rachael is a third-year biology major who volunteers at the Verona Street Animal Society and works at Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Services (VSES). On-campus, Rachael is actively involved in the RIT Pre-Vet club, RIT Honors Program, and the RIT Philharmonic Orchestra. As a student researcher, Rachael is involved in research conducted out of the Smith-Pagano Lab at RIT, where she performs blood smear counts from migratory songbirds, which has helped lead to conclusions about the immune responses of a bird. Rachael participated in both fieldwork when banding birds on top of her lab work. Her research involvement has helped increase her self-confidence and sense of responsibility, which will play a role in her plans of becoming a veterinarian.

Margo McBrearty
Margo is a third-year biology major with a strong interest in viruses and infectious diseases. Her future goal is a research career focused on global health issues. Margo is a member of Dr. Maureen Ferran’s lab, which focuses on developing viruses as a cancer therapy and as a molecular tool to understand innate immunity and age-related diseases. By working in the lab, Margo has strengthened her technical lab skills and learned to apply the knowledge obtained from her classes to a practical project. She feels that participating in research at RIT has been crucial in shaping her future career goals.

Ashley Tucker
Ashley is a fourth-year student double majoring in biology and biomedical sciences with a passion for research and medicine. After her first experience working with a Learning Assistant (LA) in class, Ashley wanted to be involved in the LA program herself! Ashley really enjoyed working with students in and outside of the classroom to help them learn and achieve success. In her junior year, she became a Higher Education Opportunity Program tutor and got to work with other students in the RIT community. She was also a Resident Advisor (RA), which immersed her deeply into the campus community, where she gained valuable leadership skills and got the chance to give back to the community.

Jay Wickard
Jay is a third-year biology major whose research interests include ecology and climate change and a career involving field research. Consistent change best describes Jay's experience at RIT! After encouragement from Ecology Professor Christopher Widmaier, Jay became a Learning Assistant (LA) for the Introduction to Biology II course. Working alongside Professor Widmaier and Program Coordinator Emily Mehlman instilled a love of teaching and increased Jay's knowledge about education and biology. Jay also began an ambitious project working with Professor Kaitlin Stack Whitney researching how mowing practices affect pollinators and invasive species in roadsides across New York State. Spending days outside collecting insects and identifying plants reinforced Jay’s childhood love of the natural world while discovering a passion for field research.

Alaa Abdelmageed Ahmed
Alaa is a fourth-year biotechnology and molecular bioscience student from Cairo, Egypt. Outside of academics, Alaa’s passions, mostly revolve around yoga, (her way to de-stress) and volunteer work. She has been a yoga teacher at RIT for a year. She has also been a TA for Anatomy and Molecular Biology labs, a peer mentor for WISe, and a tutor for Genetics. Additionally, most of her research work at RIT was in Cancer Biology and Virology. After graduation, Alaa plans on pursuing her Ph.D. in genetics from a US institution and continuing on to becoming a professor.

Sofie "Rowan" Christie
As a third-year bioinformatics student, Rowan has explored a passion for coding through bioinformatics programming classes, developing a strong appreciation for interdisciplinary science. The RISE and Inclusive Excellence program have given them the opportunity to work with Dr. Stack Whitney to conduct two research projects: macroinvertebrate community responses to environmental variables and the influence of study methodologies on stability trends of long-term deer tick datasets, presenting the latter last fall at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students. Rowan is also deeply involved in the House of General Science, a Special Interest House for students passionate about science, and took leadership roles as Project Manager and Tech Head. Since they have expanded the House of General Science’s involvement in K-12 outreach through STEAM Day demos and Campus Visits. They also are a member of Fowl Play, an improv comedy club, participating in several shows including Dr. Munson’s Performing Arts Challenge. Upon graduation, Rowan plans to earn a Ph.D. in bioinformatics to continue with research that benefits environmental and human health, applying their computational skills to ecology, evolutionary biology, and genetics.

Alyssa Schoenfeldt
Alyssa is a third-year student in the environmental science BS/MS program from Buffalo, NY. Alyssa spent last summer working on Dr. Kaitlin Stack Whitney’s roadside ecology project, which will be incorporated into her thesis; studying pollinators and roadside habitats across New York State. She plans to continue her field research with Dr. Stack Whitney this summer. Alyssa is currently the President of the Recover Rochester Club, allowing her to serve the Rochester community as well as contribute to RIT’s sustainability goals. After completing the BS/MS program, she plans to continue studying and working in the field of conservation biology.

Alexandria Shumway
Alexandria is a bioinformatics master’s student. She loves to work with kids and has spent the past few years at RIT doing STEM activities with the Girl Scouts of America, participating in a Pen Pal program with the Churchville-Chili School District, and working at her local elementary school back home. She is also a member of the Honors Program at RIT where she has previously headed the Honors Service Committee and worked to organize fundraising events for charity.  Alexx is also an active member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority where she has volunteered at Fall Cleanups, the Wheeler Domestic Violence Shelter, and several events with Autism Speaks. For the past four years, Alexx has enjoyed working in Dr. Sweet’s lab as an undergraduate and graduate student studying the Ophioplocus esmarki brittle star. This past summer, she did research abroad on intestinal inflammation in Kiel, Germany as a DAAD scholar. In the future, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in genetics and work on complex human diseases. Unfortunately, she is unable to attend tonight due to an interview at Duke University.

Lauren Trumpore
Lauren is a third-year biotechnology and molecular bioscience major with a minor in Criminal Justice.  She is the College of Science Senator for Student Government and Secretary for the College of Science Student Advisory Board, allowing her to positively impact the college not only by hosting events, such as the Brick City Alumni Networking Event, the Winter Celebration, COS Coffee Chat, and the COS Spring Picnic. She has also been instrumental to bringing updates to Gosnell such as the GSoLS/SMS lounge.  Lauren is an active brother and marketing chair for Alpha Phi Omega, allowing her to volunteer with local Boy Scouts, House of Mercy, Mount Hope Cemetery, and the American Diabetes Association.  Additionally, she is a student researcher in the MBER research lab headed by Dr. Wright and Dr. Newman, where she has participated in a SURF and been able to present her research twice on campus.  She is also a member of the Biotech Club and a player on the Field Hockey team.  Lauren has enjoyed representing the College of Science and volunteering in the Rochester community, with plans to continue doing so next year.

Emalee Wrightstone
Emalee is a third-year biotechnology and molecular bioscience major with minors in Chemistry and Ethics. She is heavily involved in the College of Science through both her role as the COS Student Advisory Board Vice President and the COS Honors Representative. In addition, she is a member of Biotech Club and Plant Science Journal Club. Emalee enjoys mentoring and teaching students in her roles as an Honors Orientation Mentor, Learning Assistant, and Teaching Assistant for the past two years.

Due to her widespread scientific interest and general curiosity, Emalee is involved in numerous research fields ranging from the investigation of potential chemotherapy to analyzing DNA textbook illustrations to characterizing maize green leaf volatile mutants’ microbiomes. Following her love of science and biology, Emalee plans to earn a Ph.D. in a field of molecular biology with the end goal of working in an industry setting.

The David M. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship ($5,000 - $6,000) is open to all undergraduate Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences students who have achieved third-year status.

Applications Due: November 2024
Requirements: Minimum 3.4 GPA and must be a full-time student for at least 1 year.
Applications must include: Up-to-date resume or CV required cover sheet (email to request), and a written statement describing key academic and service contributions.

Do you have questions? Stop by the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences office (GOS-2102) or email for more information.