The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation presented fourth-year Engineering student Hannah Meredith with a $10,000 scholarship yesterday.
This is the first time a University student has received an award from the Astronaut Scholarship program, Lucy Russell, director of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, said in an email.
Candidates for the scholarship must have shown initiative, creativity and excellence in engineering, natural or applied science. These students must intend to continue to work in their chosen field after graduation.
The University was invited to nominate two students for the first time this year, Russell said.
Meredith has pursued scientific research since her first year at the University.
"I first met Hannah several years ago when she submitted an unusual application for the University Award for Undergraduate Projects in the Arts," Russell said. "Hannah's proposal to study molecular gastronomy as an art form was funded, and she carried out a very creative and successful project."
Meredith has been working with Assoc. Biomedical Engineering Prof. Brian Helmke to conduct a Harrison grant project on amoeba motility. Motility is the ability to move spontaneously and actively while consuming energy. The research is intended to help doctors in less developed countries to accurately diagnose patients infected with amoeba that pollute water, she said.
Helmke praised Meredith's academic initiative.
"I think that she's shown outstanding scientific creativity and curiosity as well as dedication to multi-discipline research to improve health," he said.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation announced the scholarship recipients last May.
"I was over the moon," Meredith said. "How many times does a biomedical student get to make a joke about that?"
Meredith plans to use the scholarship to contribute toward the cost of graduate school.
Meredith said she plans to pursue a doctorate, though she is not sure where. "I'm still in the process of applying and I don't find out until next spring," she said.
She hopes her achievements signal the importance of undergraduate research for University students. Such research could help students with their post-graduation plans, Helmke said.
"I think for students who have career goals that involve research, the more hands-on experience the better, just like [how] a student that wanted to pursue financial careers would go and work on Wall Street," he said.
Helmke said Meredith's achievement also reflected well on the University. The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's recognition of Meredith is "representative of the fact that U.Va. has high quality undergraduate science and engineering students that have the potential to be future world leaders," he said.
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