Elon sophomore Amanda Leigh Clark was recognized this week with an honorable mention in the 2009 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program, which awards scholarships to students planning for careers in science, math and engineering.
The biochemistry major from Skaneateles, N.Y., was one of approximately 300 students nationwide to receive the distinction. She hopes to eventually earn an M.D. and a PhD to conduct medical research in cardiology, a passion stirred by relatives affected by heart disease.
Her current interests are in the role of the body’s immune system in the progression of atherosclerosis. Clark has worked with Kathryn Matera, an associate professor of chemistry, on undergraduate research that examines this area of research inquiry.
“My continued commitment to research has been driven by personal interests as well as my fascination with science and craving for the challenges it holds,” Clark wrote in her Goldwater application. “I have realized that my research could contribute to the quality of life experienced by individuals in our society, and that the field of biomedical research, specifically that involving atherosclerosis, provides many opportunities for me to do so.”
Clark, an Elon College Fellow and an Elon Presidential Scholar recipient, received the CRC Freshman Achievement in Chemistry Award last year and is a member of Beta Beta Beta, an honorary biology club. She’s also involved with Phi Eta Sigma, and she made the President’s List at Elon in fall 2007 and spring 2008.
Clark coordinates the Global Medical Brigades on campus, and she serves as the volunteer coordinator and administrative assistant at the Open Door Clinic of Alamance County.
Authorized by Congress in 1986, the Goldwater scholarship program honoring former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater fosters and encourages outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of math, the natural sciences and engineering. The scholarship is considered the premier undergraduate award of its type in those fields.
Recipients receive up to $7,500 annually toward expenses for undergraduate tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Elon alum Geoffrey Lynn received a Goldwater Scholarship in 2005, the first Elon student ever to do so in the program’s history.
For more information on the Goldwater program, click on the link to the right of this page under the E-Cast section.