No te b o o k • Vo lu me X X V I I • 2019
2019
Cameron Owen — Fourth Consecutive Churchill
Cameron Owen arrived at
of this year, Owen was selected
the University of Utah from Boise,
for a Churchill Scholarship. He is
Idaho, with only $10,000 in schol-
one of only 15 students nationally
arship support for his next four-
to receive the award this year and
years at the U. Just seven months
is the fourth consecutive Churchill
later, Owen was an undergraduate
scholar from the U.
member of the Armentrout Re-
search Group departing for an all-
testament to his scientific curiosity
expenses-paid research trip to the
and diligence in his undergradu-
Netherlands. As Ferris Bueller once
ate research,” said Dan Reed, Senior
said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you
Vice President for Academic Affairs.
don’t stop and look around once in
“A fourth Churchill Scholarship
a while, you could miss it.”
award demonstrates the value of
Cameron was drawn to the U
undergraduate research and men-
by its science reputation but it was
torship experiences at the U, and
a recruiting presentation by Chemistry Professor Tom Richmond that sealed the deal. “His presentation was incred-
“
One of my favorite memories is hanging out at Café Jost,
that our students are among the best and brightest in the world.” In May, Owen graduated from the
ible,” remembers Owen. “I was so in-
in Nijmegen, with Peter Armentrout
U with an honors BS degree in Chem-
spired… I tried to introduce myself on
and the staff from FELIX.
istry, a BS in Physics, and a minor in
the spot.”
Owen credits his freshman experience in the Honors
”
Mathematics. He also was named the
2019 Undergraduate Research Scholar Award recipient in the
College and specifically the Honors Science Cohort as
College of Science.
“instrumental to my success.” Owen remembers, “One class
assignment was to find a professor on campus, read some of
in England to begin his studies as a Churchill Scholar. He is
their research and ask for a lab tour. I chose Peter Armentrout
remarkably down to earth for an international scholar – counting
in the Chemistry Department.”
the previous two trips to the Netherlands makes this only the
fourth time that Owen has traveled outside of the U.S.
Owen’s research trip to the Netherlands was funded by
This fall, Cameron departs for the University of Cambridge
the National Science Foundation’s MSPIRE Research Experi-
ence for Undergraduates (REU) program. He worked directly
friendships that he established. He remains good friends with
with Joost Bakker on the FELICE molecular beam apparatus
fellow Honors Science Cohort alumni Connor Morgan, Ryan
as well as other lab staff at FELIX, at Radboud University in
Johnson, Robert Stahulak, and Erik Perez. Owen also credits
Nijmegen, Netherlands. Armentrout and Owen collaborated
Peter Armentrout, Michelle Taliaferro, Michael Morse, Ryan
closely for much of the visit. They repeated the trip in the
Looper, Adam Boocher, Ginger Smoak, Natscha Knowlton,
summer of 2018.
and many others, for his success at the U.
In March of his junior year (2018), Owen was awarded the
prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Then, in January 4
“Cameron’s achievement is a
Owen is extremely grateful for his time at Utah and the
