Contact: Maridith Geuder
From left, MSU Goldwater Scholars, Erin Bassford, Alan Boyle and Angela Spence
Three Mississippi State students are among a select group nationally being named 2003 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars.
Seniors Erin R. Bassford of Germantown, Tenn., and Alan P. Boyle of Starkville, along with junior Angela M. Spence of Brandon, are among only 300 university students named this year in the federal program recognizing outstanding scholars in mathematics, engineering and the natural sciences.
More than 1,000 students applied for the awards, which provide up to $7,500 annually to support continued academic study. All three 2003 MSU honorees maintain perfect 4.0 grade-point averages and plan to pursue careers in research.
In the past five years, Mississippi State has produced six Goldwater Scholars. Last year's recipient, senior biochemistry major Marc A. Seitz of Franklin, Tenn., now is enrolled for his first year at MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine.
"The selection of these three outstanding students is proof of their achievements as research scholars and evidence of Mississippi State's commitment to undergraduate education," said Jack H. White, the university's director of distinguished external scholarships.
The three also are members of the University Honors Program, which provides focused academic studies for students in all disciplines. "These leaders demonstrate that Mississippi State students meet the most rigorous national standards for excellence," said White, who also heads the honors program.
Bassford, the daughter of Ruthie Bassford of Germantown and James Bassford of Byhalia, is a 2000 graduate of Houston High School in Germantown. A biochemistry major, she has conducted undergraduate research on corn and its response to environmental stress. She is a member of Beta Beta Beta national biological honorary society and the university's wind and percussion ensembles.
Her graduate work will concentrate on human proteomics--a research area that deals with proteins produced by cell type and organism. By identifying proteins that may trigger a specific disease, her ambition is to develop treatments or prevention strategies that can improve human health.
Boyle, the son of Dr. and Mrs. John Boyle, is pursuing a double major in computer science and molecular biology. A Presidential Endowed Scholar at MSU, he is a 2001 graduate of Starkville High School.
Boyle's research interest is bioinformatics--an emerging field that combines the study of biological data such as the human genome with the tools of computer science.
In 2001, he was the single state representative to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, where he won second place for his research project involving bioinformatics analysis. After receiving his bachelor's degree, he plans to pursue a doctorate in the field, with the goal of using computer technologies to better understand biological processes.
Spence, an Ottilie Schillig Leadership Scholar, is the daughter of Cheney and Diana Spence of Brandon and Jane Jackson of Philadelphia. She is an aerospace engineering and physics double major. A 2001 graduate of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus, she seeks to pursue a doctorate at the California Institute of Technology, where she last summer held a research assistantship.
A participant in MSU's cooperative education program that alternates academic coursework with employment, Spence is working this semester for NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., where she hopes to continue employment following completion of a graduate degree.
Named for the former Arizona senator and Republican presidential candidate, the scholarships are provided by the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation of Springfield, Va.