2019-20 MWC Scholars

Georgetown University Scholars

Graduate Scholars, $15,000 Award

Megan E. Barefoot

1st Year Scholar
MD/Ph.D. Tumor Biology Program
Researching liver damage from reperfusion injury after liver transplat.

Nicole Wagner

ARCS/MWC Endowment Scholar

1st Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Biology
Researching the survival mechanisms of primitve microbial life in a perennially frozen, methane-rich Antarctic lake

Daniel N. O'Brien

ARCS/MWC Endowment Scholar

2nd Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Physics
Researching design and development of novel medical devices for biomarker sensing in non-invasively sampled human interstitial fluid.

The George Washington University

Graduate Scholars, $15,000 Award

Benjamin P. Bowman

Mars Foundation Scholar

1st Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Computer Engineering
Research in graph theory, machine learning, and applied cybersecurity, to develop new graph-based techniques for modeling knowledge derived from source code to detect vulnerabilities.

Isaiah J. King

1st Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Computer Engineering
Research in machine learning on graph data structures to provide deeper knowledge about data in less time

Laith Z. Samarah

1st Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Chemistry
Research entails chemical analysis to unravel the intricate molecular framework behind the natural association between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

John Hopkins University

Graduate Scholars, $15,000 Award

Savahannah Est-White

1st Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Biomedical Engineering
Research attempts to stimulate the immune sysetm to specifically target diseases including melanoma and inflammatory bowel disease.

Adam Li

1st Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Biomedical Engineering
Research entails localizing the epileptogenic zone in the brain of epilepsy patients using intracranial EEG data.

Alexandra Rindone

ARCS/MWC Hesse Endowment Scholar

1st Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Biomedical Engineering
Research platform will be applied to develop targeted therapeutics to regenerate lost bone resulting from large craniofacial injuries.

University of Maryland

Graduate Scholars, $15,000 Award

Laura A. Paquin

2nd Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Aerospace Engineering
Research in the development of aircraft and spacecraft that will be subjected to high-speed and high-temperature flows

Julia C. Sell

1st Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Physics
Research focuses on using light, with an added kick of momentum, to interact with matter in a way that is currently in accessible in traditional electronics.

Micahael J. Zuzak

2nd Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Electrical Engineering
Research to prevent malicious activity, such as piracy, trojan insertion, and reverse engineering within custom integrated circuits.

University of Maryland, Undergraduate

Undergraduate Scholars, $5000 Award

Elizabeth McFarland

Lockheed Martin Corporation

2nd Year Scholar
Undergraduate, Aerospace Engineering
Research in instrument testing and development, specifically in the characterization of LED arrays to perform microscopic spectroscopy for future landed planetary missions to other bodies, and in collision detection simulation for robotic satellite servicing.

Julia Mittelstadt

Lockheed Martin Scholar

2nd Year Scholar
Undergraduate, Aerospace Engineering
Research to understand the structural proerties of swept-tip, composite blades in order to reduce vibration at high speeds for tiltrotor aircraft. Research specifically looks at reducing vibration in the wings of a V-22 Osprey. By reducing vibration at high speeds, the wing's stiffness can be lessened allowing the overall weight of the aircraft to decrease.

Charis Smith

Lockheed Martin Scholar

2nd Year Scholar
Undergraduate, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Research in the electrical characterization of commericial IGBT power modules subjected to reliabilty testing to better detect and prevent catastrophic failure.

University of Virginia

Graduate Scholars, $15,000 Award

Audrey C. Brown

1st Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Molecular Generation, Cell, & Developmental Biology
Research to identify how metabolism of the malaria-causing parasite, Plamodium falciparum, changes in response to stressful conditions to prevent the emergence and spread of drug-resistant malaria.

Samantha M. Perez

1st Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Biomedical Engineering
Research focuses on the translational nexus of combining basic molecular biology and engineering principles to selectively target deadly cancers.

Stephanie Michaela Rikard

1st Year Scholar
Ph.D. Candidate, Biomedical Engineering
Research to design novel therapeuitc interventions to improve outcomes for patients who experience acute myocardial infarction.