April 19, 2002 UNT Inhouse publication: UNT leads Texas in number of students winning Goldwater Scholarships

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UNT leads Texas in number of students winning Goldwater Scholarships

For the second year in a row, UNT has had four students named Barry M. Goldwater Scholars, the maximum number a university is allowed to nominate. And for the second year in a row, that is more than any other Texas college or university.

The four UNT students are among 309 students in the nation to win 2002 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships, considered among the country's most prestigious scholarships awarded to students planning careers in mathematics, science and engineering.

All college sophomores and juniors are eligible to compete for the scholarships, which provide a maximum of $7,500 each year to cover tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Universities may nominate up to four students for the award. Students are chosen on the basis of their scientific research, grade point averages and other achievements.

UNT had more scholars than the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology and Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and Yale universities. UNT tied with 12 other universities, including Johns Hopkins, Cornell and Duke universities, in having the maximum number of scholars.

All four UNT scholars — Stephen Chen, Mabel Feng, Vivian Liang and Priscilla Pang – are students at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science.

James Duban, director of the UNT Office of Postgraduate Fellowships and chair of the UNT Faculty Goldwater Nominating and Mentoring Committee, points out that having the maximum number of Goldwater Scholars two years in a row is a distinction shared by only three other universities nationwide.

"The wonderful mix of TAMS talent and faculty sponsorship of undergraduate research has allowed UNT to be at the forefront of the Goldwater Scholarship competition. We're aiming to make this level of success a UNT tradition," he says. Stephen Chen

Chen, from Carrollton, was honored for his research on analyzing the structure of layered double hydroxides, minerals that are currently used as fillers in plastics but could be used for other applications. He conducted his research in the laboratory of Paul Braterman, UNT Regents Professor of chemistry. In September, he traveled to New Mexico to analyze layered double hydroxides at the Los Alamos Neutron Beam Facility.

Chen has applied to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University to finish his bachelor's degree after graduating from TAMS May 10. He plans a career as a biochemist at a research or medical institution. Mabel Feng

Feng, from Colleyville, was honored for research she conducted at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas under the direction of Tony Babb, a researcher at Presbyterian Hospital. She investigated the best way to calculate fat in obese patients using magnetic resonance image scanning. She also studied the link between abdominal fat distribution and decrease in lung volume.

She plans to attend Harvard University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to finish her bachelor's degree after graduating from TAMS in May. Feng plans to be an engineering or Vivian Liang pre-medical student.

Liang, from Plano, conducted her research in the laboratory of Oliver Chyan, UNT associate professor of chemistry. She placed platinum and palladium onto carbon films that protect silicon wafers. She then tested the difference in the electronic transfers of the wafers with the metals and without the metals, and noted that the metals cause the electrochemical process to speed up.

Liang plans to study electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin after graduating from TAMS in May. She hopes to become an electrical engineer and work in research and development in the telecommunications industry. Priscilla Pang

Pang, from Grand Prairie, conducted her research in the laboratory of James Simpkins at the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth. Pang investigated the mechanics of estrogen. The hormone protects against certain types of cell deaths that are similar to cell deaths seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease, Pang says.

She plans to attend Johns Hopkins University after graduating from TAMS in May and major in biology or neuroscience. After receiving a medical degree and a doctoral degree, Pang plans to become a medical researcher.

Other Texas universities with new scholars include the University of Texas at Austin (three), Texas A&M University (two), Texas Tech University (two), and Rice University, Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University with one scholar each. UNT has had 21 Goldwater Scholars since 1996.

Also serving on the committee were Elizabeth Bator, mathematics; Jannon Fuchs, biology; David Golden, physics; Paul Jones, chemistry; and Sam Matteson, physics.

More information on the Goldwater Scholarships can be found on the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Foundation home page at www.act.org/goldwater.