Mary Tenuta Selected for Highly Prestigious Beckman Scholar Program

2017 Apr 21

Biology major Mary Tenuta ('19) and Biochemistry major Halie Sonnenschein ('18) were selected to receive the first 2 Beckman Scholar Awards of USD's 2017 Beckman Scholar Program (BSP) cohort. Mary will work in the lab of Professor Geoff Morse studying insect evolution and ecology, while Halie will pursue research in Professor Jessica Bell's lab on the biochemistry of immune response. In order to be eligible for a Beckman award, students must demonstrate a very high bar of success in academics as well as in research following a rigorous application and interview process. In order to be eligible for a Beckman award, students must demonstrate a very high bar of success in academics as well as in research following a rigorous application and interview process.

The Arnold and Mabel Backman Foundation provides grants to researchers and non-profit research institutions in chemistry and life sciences to promote scientific discoveries, and particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments, and materials that will open up new avenues of research.

Mary and Halie will perform two summers and a complete academic year of research entirely supported by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. BSPs are intended to support students of exceptionally high promise for a future career in the sciences.

The 2017 BSP comes on the heels of USD's first award, granted in 2014, and just 11 schools nationwide were selected to receive support this year. For several students in the 2014 cohort, becoming a Beckman Scholar marked the beginning of their success in scientific research. Biophysics major Stephanie Gorzyca ('16, mentor Dr. Rae Anderson) received a Goldwater Scholarship as well as an Apker award from the American Physical Society. She currently attends UCLA, working towards joint D.D.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Biochemistry major Elizabeth Webster ('15, mentor Dr. Lauren Benz) is pursuing a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Stanford University under the support of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

"Receiving a Beckman scholarship is a huge honor. Not only does it provide me the opportunity to continue working on a research project I truly love, it has also helped me realize the potential I have as a scientist and has only made my desire to pursue a graduate school and a career in research that much stronger," said Halie Sonnenschein

"I am extremely grateful and excited to have received this award. The award has helped fuel my already high enthusiasm for biology. I am eager to begin my project and really dive into my research in ecology and genomics. I think the Beckman Award will greatly impact my future as a student, scientist, and adult. It will allow me to gain a new level of independence as a scientist by equipping me with skills to ask important questions and find solutions and answers on my own. It will help to prepare me for my pursuits after I graduate, as I continue on with my education and begin my career. The skills I will gain will also span beyond the lab and the realm of science, enabling me to think independently, make important decisions, and communicate new ideas and findings to others. I am very eager develop these skills over the next 18 months," said Mary Tenuta.