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Honors Students Awarded Goldwater Scholarships

Apr 8, 2011

Four UW undergraduate Honors students have won Goldwater Scholarships, designed 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.

Jane Hung is a junior majoring in mathematics and physics.

She entered the UW through the UW Academy (early entrance program) in 2007. She has been working in the laboratory of a Xiaosong Li, assistant professor of chemistry, studying a fundamental process that could play an important role in the development of more efficient light-emitting diodes (LED) and photovoltaic devices. "The insight I have acquired into the materials of the future is absolutely priceless, and my goal now is to help turn clean technology into global power," she says.

Mark Bun, a junior, is majoring in mathematics and computer science. Bun entered the UW through the Early Entrance Program in 2007.

Bun has been a student researcher since 2009. He also has worked as a teaching assistant and tutor in the Mathematics Department. He has received a Mary Gates Research Scholarship, a Washington NASA Space Grant award and a National Science Foundation Research Training Grant.

He plans to pursue a doctorate in theoretical computer science, with a career in research at a university or a technology company. In his spare time he studies Byzantine history and numismatics.

Benjamin Dulken is a junior at the University of Washington majoring in bioengineering. He has been working in the laboratory of Suzie Pun, associate professor of bioengineering, studying ways to provide controlled local drug release to the cochlea of the inner ear, among other projects.

Dulken is planning to obtain an M.D./Ph.D. in biomolecular engineering.

Outside of class and the lab, he is an avid cyclist and hiker. He has been a member of the UW Cycling Team for the past two years and has competed in numerous cycling races throughout the Northwest. He also plays the piano.

Cameron Turtle is a junior majoring in bioengineering. He has three years of experience working in research laboratories for professors at the UW and also at Washington State University, where he was a Running Start student.

He is a founding member of Bioengineers Without Borders at the UW, which develops technology that can be used in developing nations confronted with serious public health issues. He has also been a member of Engineers Without Borders, where he assisted in designing a water treatment system for a village in Suriname.

Of his decision to pursue a career in research, he writes, "My first job was as a summer worker on a wheat farm in Pullman. I woke up at the crack of dawn and spent every day trudging through fields with a backpack full of weed-killer, spraying any thistle I spotted. Between the wheat and the weeds, we had to wear full jeans and shirts through the worst of Eastern Washington’s summer. I have stuck to research labs ever since."

Goldwater Scholarship awards are based on merit, and the amount of the award is based on financial need. A maximum of $7,500 per academic year is granted.

 

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