Catherine Zivanov: Goldwater Scholar, NSF-REU Award Winner
Posted on January 30, 2017 by Arts and Sciences
Catherine Zivanov, a chemistry major, has been awarded a 2014 Goldwater Scholarship. This year, the 271 Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of over 1,100 students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. As part of the scholarship, Zivanov will receive funds to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year for two years.
Receiving a Goldwater Scholarship is often a bellwether for future recognition from prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 80 Rhodes Scholarships, 118 Marshall Awards, 110 Churchill Scholarships and numerous other distinguished fellowships.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Arizona Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate. The purpose of the Foundation is to ensure a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields. Dr. Anne Boettcher and Dr. Michael Doran, Director of the USA Honors Program, wrote recommendations for Zivanov for the scholarship.
Prior to this honor, Zivanov was the recipient of a travel grant to attend the 247th American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting this past March through the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU). The program supports undergraduate students with their active research in any areas funded by the NSF.
Zivanov joins a small group of USA students whom have received a grant from the NSF-REU. In 2012, USA received $297,740 to provide research training for 10 students, for 10 weeks, during the summers of 2012- 2014. The continuing program focuses on integrative sciences at the interchange of engineering, biology and chemistry, with links to understanding protein structure and function. Undergraduates participating in the program conduct independent research under their respective faculty mentors and explore the results of their research with peers and mentors. When not experimenting in the chemistry lab, Zivanov works as a student assistant in the Office of the President and is a member of the USA Honor’s Program and Vietnamese Student Association.