The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for Excellence in Education Foundation recently named four Georgetown University students Goldwater Scholars. The students, Kyle Brown (COL ’04), John cClure (COL’05), Andreas Rauschecker (COL ’04) and Iga Wegorzewska (COL ’04) were selected from a pool of 1,093 students nominated by university faculty in the fields of mathematics, science and engineering.

The one and two year scholarships are awarded on academic merit and will cover academic expenses of up to $7,500 per year.

Brown, a biology and government major from Louisville, Colo., said he feels particularly honored as a Goldwater Scholar. “Most importantly, it recognizes that science and scientific research are valuable and that biology can be about more than just going to medical school,” Brown said.

In the summer of 2002 Brown received the Zukowski Summer Research Scholarship. He presented his research at the National American Fisheries Conference as co-author of a poster entitled “Estimating Breeding Population Structure of Striped Bass in the Chesapeake Bay with Nuclear Micro-satellite Loci.”

Brown has also been involved in the Georgetown Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program for the past two semesters, is the president of the Georgetown Orchestra and is a Howard Hughes Scholar. In the future, Brown plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biology.

McClure, a biology major from Syracuse, N.Y., is thankful to have the confidence of the Goldwater Foundation. “It feels really great to know that a congressionally entrusted committee reviewed my resume and research up this point, and out of a national pool, decided that I have the potential to make a difference,” McClure said.

In the future, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in behavioral genetics. “Eventually, I’d like for my research to focus on isolating and treating the distinct genetic elements that are necessary for the expression of particular behaviors or behavioral disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder or Alzheimer’s disease,” he said. McClure is a Howard Hughes Scholar and a John Carroll Scholar.

Rauschecker, a biology and psychology major from Germany, is currently doing research at Oxford University in England in visual neuroscience. “I am especially interested in the way humans are able to do such seemingly easy tasks as remembering a telephone number or recognizing a friend’s voice,” said Rauschecker.

She described her recognition as a Goldwater Scholar as a great honor. The ideals of the Goldwater Scholarship Program identify with her personal concerns. “Being pre-med, I often feel as though I am in an atmosphere where the importance of scientific research is not emphasized nearly enough. I feel as though medicine and basic scientific research need to be more closely linked, and having been honored with this scholarship shows me that others feel the same way.”

Upon her return from Oxford and graduation, Rauschecker plans to attend a MD/Ph.D program in the United States. She plans to pursue a research career that focuses on brain damage or diseases in an effort to find the underlying causes for their deficiencies and determine the proper functions of a healthy brain.

Wegorzewska, a biology major from Brooklyn, N.Y., is further inspired to continue involvement in the field of science after being named a Goldwater Scholar. She credits the Biology Department with her success. “I also think that the Goldwater Scholarship recognizes the strength of the challenging biology program at Georgetown and the outstanding mentorship of the faculty that compose it.”

Wegorzewska is currently conducting research under the mentorship of Biology Professor Joseph Neale that she plans to develop into a senior thesis. She also contributed to studies that were part of a paper published in the Journal of Neurochemistry.

In the summer of 2002, Wegorzewska was a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow at Rockefeller University in New York City and worked in a molecular biophysics laboratory. She was recently nominated to be a member of the Georgetown Chapter of Sigma Xi, a scientific research society. “My plan for the future is to enter a MD/Ph.D program in order to continue my pursuit of medicine, and my career goals are geared in the direction of biomedical research” said Wegorzewska.

“Kyle, John, Andreas and Iga’s achievements are the result of a dedication to their educational endeavors and a desire to pursue excellence in the sciences. The university is proud to congratulate them on this honor,” Dean of the Georgetown College Jane McAuliffe said, in an April 11 press release.

The Goldwater Scholarship Program was designed to encourage students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering and to honor Barry M. Goldwater. In its fifteenth year, the Foundation has awarded 3,962 scholarships totaling approximately $39 million.