Georgia Institute of Technology College of Sciences

One College of Sciences student is a rising fourth-year, but she spent some of her non-research hours helping incoming first year students navigate the newness of Georgia Tech. Another became the Georgia Tech hockey team’s first woman player in school history. (Yes, Georgia Tech has a hockey team.) Yet another is helping a professor build an organic meteor database.

The six College of Sciences students honored for end-of-school-year awards and scholarships offer a wide variety of accomplishments. Join us in congratulating these winners of the 2021 College of Sciences Student Awards: 

2021 A. Joyce Nickelson and John C. Sutherland Undergraduate Research Award

Presented to a student studying physics and mathematics.
Endowment gift of Jen Nickelson and John Sutherland. 

Luojia Zhang

• Graduating Spring 2021, Physics and Mathematics double major
• Research with Zhigang Jiang and Carlos Sá de Melo, School of Physics
• “Landau quantization in tilted Weyl semimetals with broken symmetry,"Journal of Applied Physics 129, 105107 (2021).
• Presented research at American Physical Society, March 2021

2021 Roger M. Wartell and Stephen E. Brossette Award

Presented to a student who studies at the physics/math-biology interface. Endowment gift of Stephen Brossette.

Sophia Wiesenfeld

• Rising fourth year student, Chamblee Charter High School graduate
• Biology major
• Research with Brian Hammer, School of Biological Sciences, and Peter Yunker, School of Physics.
• “Glucose confers protection to Escherichia coli against contact killing by Vibrio cholera,” Sci. Rep. 2021, 11, 2935.
• PLUS (Peer-Led Undergraduate Study) leader, intro to physics; teaching assistant, evolutionary biology; GT1000 team leader

2021 Robert A. Pierotti Memorial Scholarship

Presented to a top graduating senior in the College. Endowment gift of the family and friends of former dean Robert Pierotti

Kalen Patton

• Chattahoochee High School
• Mathematics and Computer Science double major
• Research with Lutz Warnke, School of Mathematics  – “Prague dimension of random graphs,” arXiv: 2011.09459v1
• Research with Prasad Tetali, Schools of Mathematics and Computer Science  – “Markov Chain-Based Sampling for Exploring RNA Secondary Structure…” Math. Comput. Appl. 2020, 25, 67.
• Runner-up, Love Family Foundation Scholarship

2021 Mehta Phingbodhipakkiya Memorial Scholarship

Presented to a top junior in the College of Sciences. Endowment gift of Maranee Phing

Jennifer Kim

• South Forsyth High School graduate
• Biochemistry major
• Research with Amanda Stockton, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, to develop an organic meteorite database 
• Works with Loren Williams in Georgia Tech’s Center for the Origin of Life (COOL)

2021 Virginia C. and Herschel V. Clanton Jr. Scholarship

Presented to a top pre-medical student in the College of Sciences.
Endowment gift of Herschel V. Clanton.

Suraj Modi

• Mountain View High School, Lawrenceville, graduate
• Biology major
• Research with Frank Rosenzweig, School of Biological Sciences 
• Studying the integration of nutrient-sensing and pheromone-sensing pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• Ambassador, Stamps Health Services; Biology Student Advisory Council

2021 Cynthia L. Bossart and James Efron Scholarship

Presented to a top out-of-state junior in the College of Sciences.
Endowment gift of Cynthia Bossart and James Efron.

Eva Erickson

• Rising third year student from Eagan, Minnesota
• Physics major
• Research with Daniel Goldman, School of Physics
• Presented “Centipede Locomotion on Complex Terrain,” American Physical Society, 2021; and Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, 2021
• “Tech Hockey adds first ever female player to roster,” Technique, September 18, 2019