Student Achievements College of Science students awarded 2023 Goldwater Scholarships

The Goldwater Scholarship is the most prestigious undergraduate science fellowship in the country — awarded only to the top sophomores and juniors nationwide, who are engaged in academic work in math, science or engineering.

Northeastern student dreams to revolutionize precision medicine, wins Mitchell Scholarship

Northeastern student wins Fulbright Scholarship to teach English and love for the environment in Laos

It was during his time at Northeastern that Michael Nelson explored his interests in meditation and the outdoors. Those linked devotions inspired him to apply for—and win—a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers a variety of growth opportunities in more than 140 countries to graduating U.S. college seniors, graduate students and young professionals. Nelson will use his Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in Laos, enabling him to visit Southeast Asia for the first time.

Gillian McClennen, biology and data science

Gillian McClennen has been conducting microbiology research in associate professor of biology Yunrong Chai’s lab over the past several years.

“I study bacterial communication in biofilms, which are three-dimensional structures that bacteria build and live in to protect themselves from external threats like antibiotics,” she says. “After graduation, I plan to continue this research in a Ph.D. program.”

Ethan Wong, biology and data science

As a rising senior, Ethan Wong has worked with Assistant Professor Mathew Yarossi and Professor Eugene Tunik at Northeastern’s Movement Neuroscience Lab, where he’s conducted research on cognitive decline and the development of “novel screening tests” for mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

“I hope to use [the Goldwater Scholarship] to broaden my perspective on the cutting-edge research happening in many diverse fields all around the world,” he says.

Read more about these scholarship recipients on Northeastern Global News.

Vivek Kanpa was awarded the 2022 George J. Mitchell Scholarship and will travel to Ireland in August with the other 11 awardees to do a year of graduate studies in artificial intelligence for medicine and health-related research at University College Dublin.

Kanpa is especially interested in cancer research because it currently has large datasets of high quality, which he is hoping to use in his own research. Using machine learning and AI, he wants to create tools that would match a patient to a specific treatment, most beneficial for them.

“There are so many drugs that have variable effectiveness in each patient, but what if I could use each patient’s own genetic data to predict the drug that would be the most effective for them?”

Kanpa wrote in an essay for his Mitchell scholarship application.

Vivek Kanpa graduated in 2023 with degrees in data science and biology and minor in mathematics.

Read more on Northeastern Global News

“Laos really struck out as a cultural crossroads that had a rich history of Buddhism and was often overlooked by the typical tourist,” says Nelson, a 2020 Northeastern graduate in physics and computer science. “When I was a Northeastern student, I was lucky enough to cross paths with meditation techniques that eventually changed my life. Laos is home to the cultural and spiritual influences that allowed these practices to spread across the world and I feel obligated to give back to the land and the people that helped me as best I can.”

Nelson’s plans for teaching in Laos will be influenced by his love of nature. Nelson is a crew leader in Ridgecrest, California, with American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit that works with volunteers to “help restore America’s public lands.”

Nelson says his membership in the Northeastern University Huskiers and Outing Club (NUHOC)—which offers hiking, camping, climbing and other outdoor activities—helped him realize that “living outside was something I could turn into a career.”

Read more on Northeastern Global News.

Biochemistry student receives Senior Leadership Award

This new award celebrates a highly select group of seniors not only for their service to the Northeastern community but also for their potential to support and expand the university’s global network while deepening its impact worldwide.

Amanda Mangano (biochemistry) is a member of Tri Beta Biological Honor Society, Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society and Phi Delta Epsilon Professional Medical Fraternity. She has been a presidential ambassador, a College of Science peer ambassador, a Community Service and Civic Engagement Alternative Breaks communications and marketing coordinator, a Biochemistry Club member and a GlobeMed member.