An area resident is among two honor students named 2022 Goldwater Scholars at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Junior Mary Jia, a Stuttgart native, will receive a scholarship of up to $7,500 from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Foundation.
The Goldwater award is for top students in mathematics, science, and engineering, according to a news release.
Jia is an honors biomedical engineering major. Jia’s primary research focuses on developing a prime editing solution for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and she is supported by a State of Arkansas Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship, according to the release.
She is listed as first author in an article submitted to the Journal of Magnesium and Alloys for her research into the assessment of a novel boron nitride magnesium nanocomposite for orthopedic implant, and will make a presentation on her research integrating SOLIDWORKS 3D design and simulation into a biomechanics course at the 2022 American Society for Engineering Education national conference.
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Jia has been active on campus in the Biomedical Engineering Advisory Board, the First Year Engineering Program Research Mentor Program, Biomechanics Teaching Assistant, Biomedical Engineering Camp Leader, and an Honors College Ambassador. She is a Bodenhamer Fellow and an Arkansas Distinguished Governor’s Scholar. Jia has also received the Charles D. Brock Scholarship and the George & Boyce Billingsley Endowment Scholarship. She will pursue a PhD in biomedical engineering.
“Mary is an amazing undergraduate researcher and operates in the lab like a graduate student,” said her research mentor, Christopher Nelson, assistant professor of biomedical engineering. “For example, she will soon be presenting at the annual meeting of the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy. Mary is tenacious and innovative, making her an ideal recipient of the Goldwater scholarship. She will be an excellent representative of this program.”
The other scholarship recipient is Joseph Roll of Joplin, Mo.
More than 5,000 students competed nationwide for the Goldwater Scholarship this year.