NJIT Undergraduate Researchers Secure Prestigious Goldwater Scholarships

From an estimated pool of over 5,000 college sophomores and juniors, two NJIT students — Danna Valentina Sanchez Hernandez and Owen West — have been named Goldwater Scholars this year by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The scholarship is recognized as among the country’s most prestigious for STEM undergraduates pursuing research careers.

The NJIT Goldwater Scholars represent two of 10 statewide, and 438 total students across the United States represented by 227 institutions. Goldwater Scholars each earn a prize of up to $7,500 per year for up to two years to support their education and research. This is the sixth-consecutive year that NJIT students have been awarded, and it brings the number of Goldwater Scholars at NJIT to 13 over the same period.

Sanchez Hernandez is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering and is a prolific researcher. Since joining NJIT, she has undertaken four research projects, each one building the skills and experience she will need to successfully complete her doctoral studies and launch her career as a biological researcher focusing on applying biomechanics from nature to develop novel devices. Her current research in Professor Brooke Flammang’s Fluid Locomotion Laboratory focuses on developing non-invasive attachments for sensors used in tracking whales and other marine life. She has already been accepted into NJIT’s dual degree B.S./Ph.D. program.

Owen West is a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering and a scholar in NJIT’s Albert Dorman Honors College. He has undertaken several research projects while at NJIT with Professor Vivek Kumar, primarily focusing on improving efficiency and reducing the time needed to develop new drug treatments. His research has the potential to impact a wide variety of medical research programs. In addition, West participates in the Newark College of Engineering Grand Challenges Scholar Program. He is particularly active in encouraging high school and college students to pursue research and has served as a mentor for numerous students. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. focusing on structural biology.

"The Goldwater program limits the number of nominations each university can submit, so every university nominates their very best undergraduate student researchers," said John Carpinelli, professor of electrical and computing engineering, and a campus representative for the Goldwater Scholarship Program. "NJIT's success this year, along with its consistent achievements in previous years, underscores the caliber of our undergraduate research students, showcasing that they are among the most elite students across the country."

The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue research careers in the fields of the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics.

Look out for a full profile of these students and their research later in the spring.