Goldwater Scholarship winners

MCB Major Receive Prestigious Goldwater Scholarships

Three UC Davis students were awarded the scholarships this year, one from MCB

Three UC Davis students, including two from the College of Biological Sciences, have won the highly prestigious and competitive Barry Goldwater Scholarship. 

Every year, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation honors fewer than 500 undergraduate second- and third-year students from across the country with scholarships recognizing their science, technology, engineering and mathematics research accomplishments and future potential.

The 2024 UC Davis Goldwater Scholars are: Avantika Gokulnatha, a third-year genetics and genomics major, Madeleine Rose, a second-year cognitive science major, and Shih-Na Liu, an evolution, ecology and biodiversity major. Each of them submitted research spanning multiple STEM fields and topics.

Gokulnatha, who is from San Jose, California, investigates the cellular mechanisms of the human aging process. Rose, who is from Foster City, California, conducts research at the intersection of neuroendocrinology, chronic pain and artificial intelligence. And Liu, from Taoyuan, Taiwan, explores the effects of diet on the body shape evolution of reef fishes.

All three winners intend to continue their research at a graduate level. In the meantime, they’ll work on their ongoing endeavors here at UC Davis, where they began their journeys pursuing research excellence.

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