Clemson University students named Goldwater Scholars

Published: April 12, 2011

CLEMSON — Two Clemson University students have been awarded the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering, and one has received an honorable mention in the Goldwater Scholars competition.

Nationally, 275 Goldwater Scholars were selected for the 2011-12 academic year from a field of 1,095 students who were nominated by college and university faculties.

The Clemson awardees are Brian Bowers of Summerville, a junior majoring in mathematical sciences, and Dylan Hale of Clover, a junior majoring in biological sciences. Laura Wiles of Wendell, N.C., a junior majoring in bioengineering, received an honorable mention.

The Goldwater scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 for an academic year. The federally endowed scholarship program is designed to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

Bowers is participating this semester in the prestigious Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program in Hungary. At Clemson he has conducted research with faculty member Steve Stevenson in the School of Computing, using mathematical modeling to evaluate the effectiveness of various intervention strategies for influenza outbreaks. With professor Neil Calkin of mathematical sciences he has gained research experience in computational combinatorics. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics.

Hale has worked in the laboratory of cell biologist Matthew Turnbull at Clemson, focusing mainly on gap junctions, connections between cells that facilitate cellular communication. In the summer of 2010, having been awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Opportunity, he conducted research with Alex Andrianopoulos at the University of Melbourne in Australia. He is a graduate of the Governor’s School for Science and Math in Hartsville.

Wiles is conducting research at Clemson under the direction of Delphine Dean in the department of bioengineering, focusing on the effects of nanoparticles on cell properties and functions. In the summer of 2010 she worked with researcher Martyn Boutelle at the Imperial College of London on glucose and lactate biosensors for use in monitoring patients with traumatic brain injuries. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering.

Ricki Shine, associate director of the Calhoun Honors College at Clemson, said 13 Clemson students have won Goldwater Scholarships in the past five years and four others have received honorable mentions.

The Goldwater Scholarship is considered the premier undergraduate award of its type in the fields of mathematics, engineering and the natural sciences.

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