Three University of Delaware students—James J. Parris, a senior biochemistry major, Agata Bielska, a senior biochemistry major, and Geoffrey Oxberry, a senior chemical engineering major—have been awarded 2005-06 academic year scholarships by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

The scholarship program, honoring the late U.S. Sen. Barry M. Goldwater, is designed to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to $7,500 per year.

“It is an honor to be considered among the top undergraduate researchers at the University and throughout the country,” Parris, of Newark, says. “Receiving the scholarship has strengthened my desire to pursue a doctoral degree in the field of biomedical science, and it will help greatly in achieving this goal.”

Parris, who has been conducting research on the protein junctional adhesion molecule with Ulhas Naik, associate professor of biological sciences, recently submitted a first-author paper to be published in the journal Developmental Dynamics.

Bielska, from Coopersburg, Pa., says the scholarship will strengthen her drive to follow the path she has already set for herself. She attended the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) meeting in San Diego in the spring, where she presented a poster of her research on protein phosphorylation with Neal Zondlo, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

Oxberry, of Plymouth Meeting, Pa., says the award speaks for the quality of UD’s chemical engineering department. “Receiving the scholarship has caused me to broaden my goals. I’m already investigating opportunities for postgraduate fellowships,” he says.

Oxberry is conducting research on data reduction through scientific visualization of viscoelastic turbulence with Antony Beris, Arthur B. Metzner Professor of Chemical Engineering.

This year’s Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,091 mathematics, science and engineering students who are nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide.

—Martin Mbugua