Reinhard Bartsch and Emma Powers, junior undergraduate students in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, have been selected as 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholars. Granted by The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, these highly prestigious scholarships are awarded to exceptional students who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering. For the 2024 competition, 438 total students were selected from a pool of 1,353 nominees at 446 academic institutions.
Reinhard Bartsch is an honors chemistry major who conducts research on organic synthesis and catalyst design with an aim to discover and develop safer non-toxic and more environmentally friendly syntheses, with particular applications in pharmaceutical production. He has worked in the laboratories of both Professor Brandon Ashfeld and Professor Vlad Iluc. Reinhard’s work has also been recognized with the Norbert L. Wiech Award, given to an outstanding junior excelling in academics and research, and the Vincent P. Slatt Fellowship for Undergraduate Research in Energy Systems and Processes. After graduation, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in organic chemistry.
Emma Powers is a biochemistry major who works in the laboratory of Professor Laurie Littlepage. Her research centers on breast cancer metastasis, with a specific interest in developing therapeutics to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. In addition to her work in the Littlepage lab, Emma spent time at the Mayo Clinic working on a genomic study of the chemotherapy drug, 5-fluorouracil, and she will complete a research internship this summer at Pfizer studying drug development and manufacturing. Emma is also the recipient of a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and STEM Supplemental Award, and she is a Sorin Scholar. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in cancer biology.