Shayna McHugh '05, has been named a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar for the 2003-04 academic year. The scholarship is the premier national undergraduate award in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.
McHugh, a chemistry major at Hamilton, plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry, then become a medical research scientist focusing on the discovery and development of new drugs and medicines.
The Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering and to foster excellence in those fields.
The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,093 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. This year 300 scholarships were awarded. 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. The Foundation, in its 15-year history, has awarded 3,962 scholarships worth approximately $39 million.
McHugh, the daughter of Lori and Thomas McHugh of Autumn Drive in Bethel, Conn., is a graduate of Christian Heritage School, and a Dean's List student at Hamilton. She is the recipient of a Merck/AAAS Summer Research Grant; the Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize, awarded to the 10 students with the best academic record at the end of the first year; the G. Harvey Cameron Prize, awarded to the first-year student with the most promise in experimental physics; and Hamilton's Siuda Foundation Scholarship for Academic merit.
Since 2002, she has conducted organic chemistry research under the guidance of Professor Robin Kinnel. The project had two objectives: to extract opalau'amine, a recently discovered cancer-fighting compound from a marine sponge; and to isolate and identify other chemicals from the sponge and test them for antibiotic and anti-cancer properties. McHugh was one of 25 undergraduates selected nationally to present her research and results at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Denver in February. She also presented a poster of her work at the 225th American Chemical Society National Meeting in New Orleans, March 23-27.
She is a peer tutor for chemistry, physics and math, a writing tutor and a founding member of Hamilton's Copoiera Club, African-Brazilian martial arts and dance.
