Carleton Students Finke ’12, Morrissey ’12 Named Goldwater Scholars
Carleton College students Cody Finke ’12 (Seattle) and James Lu Morrissey ’12 (New York) have been named Goldwater Scholarship winners. Finke, a chemistry major, is interested in HIV-related research and says a high-school volunteering experience sparked his science interest. Morrissey, a chemistry and Chinese double major, has pursued his interest in biomedical research since his sophomore year of high school, working in labs at several medical schools during summers and school breaks, with an emphasis on cancer research.
Northfield, Minn.––Carleton College students Cody Finke ’12 (Seattle) and James Lu Morrissey ’12 (New York) have been named Goldwater Scholarship winners.
Finke, a chemistry major, says that a high-school volunteering experience sparked his science interest. “It all started when my high school biology teacher took me to volunteer at the Seattle Lifelong AIDS alliance,” Finke said. “I was struck by the complexity and the horror of the virus, and almost immediately I started thinking what its weaknesses could be.” After college, Finke hopes to take some time off to work in a lab and also “[to] get lost outside by exploring the other things that I love to do (mountain biking, road biking, hiking, whitewater kayaking, and downhill skiing) in both Idaho’s and the rest of the world’s wilderness before heading off to graduate school.” He expects to pursue a M.D. or PhD. in virology where he can do research like in his Goldwater Scholar’s proposal, which has to do with discovering a novel vector to realize siRNA-based therapies for HIV. At Carleton, Finke enjoys SCUBA dive club, playing as a member of the club rugby squad, culturing yeast for the student club Three Oaks Brewery, and skiing and biking “whenever my homework is not prohibitive.”
Morrissey, a chemistry and Chinese double major, has pursued his interest in biomedical research since his sophomore year of high school, working in labs at several medical schools during summers and school breaks, with an emphasis on cancer research. Last summer, as an Amgen Scholar, he engaged in cancer stem cell research at Stanford Medical School. “I was privileged to spend the summer working with leading researchers on novel therapies that may prove to be instrumental in the fight against cancer, and I will always look back on those two months as a unique and fulfilling chapter in my life,” he said. “I’m very pleased and honored to win a Goldwater Scholarship, and I intend to continue to pursue my interests in science, health care and technology in the future.” This coming summer, Morrissey will be working on a book with the support of a Larson International Fellowship from Carleton, and studying Chinese in Xi’an, China. Morrissey is also a student wellness advisor, a member of the Carleton men’s track and field team, and of Carleton’s Asian Students in America (ASIA) club.
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields. For the 2011-12 school year, 275 scholarships have been awarded to undergraduate sophomores and juniors from the United States. The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,095 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. One hundred seventy of the Scholars are men, 105 are women, and virtually all intend to obtain a Ph.D. as their degree objective. Twenty-four Scholars are mathematics majors, 194 are science and related majors, 52 are majoring in engineering, and 5 are computer science majors. Many of the Scholars have dual majors in a variety of mathematics, science, engineering, and computer disciplines. The one and two year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. Since its first award in 1989, the Foundation has bestowed over 6,600 scholarships worth approximately fifty million dollars.