Greenville University Undergrad Researcher Jessie Chappel Receives Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

Published: April 13, 2021

Student researcher Jessie Chappel, a junior double majoring in biology and chemistry at Greenville University, has been named recipient of the 2019-20 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. The prestigious award goes to undergraduates who show exceptional promise at becoming the next generation of research leaders in the natural sciences, mathematics and/or engineering.

Chappels award is valued at $7,500.

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation awarded 496 scholarships for the 2019-20 school year. Chappel was one of 1,223 college sophomores and juniors nominated from an estimated pool of 5,000 potential awardees.

Judges for the Goldwater Scholarship look for students who demonstrated academic merit, a passion for research and ownership of research theyve conducted or helped conduct. They also look for a creative spark that indicates potential leadership in the students chosen fields. Nearly all of the awardees indicated they intend to obtain doctorates.

At Greenville University, Chappel participated in ongoing research led by G.U.s Assistant Professor of Biology Bwarenaba Kautu. Their work explored the neurophysiological effects of plant chemicals called kavalactones.

• Last fall, Chappel co-authored an article about their research that appeared in Stanford Universitys Journal of Bio-protocol.
• In January, she presented the research at a conference of the Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association (HCURA).
• This summer, she will serve as an intern with the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University.

Kautu intentionally recruits freshmen to engage in research. He believes they are capable of extraordinary achievements.

I see so much God-given potential and talent in these young people, he says. Yet, this group of people is often overlooked.

Recruiting younger researchers gives him a longer time to train and influence them. Kautus young collaborators have gone on to publish papers, secure significant grant funding for subsequent research, collaborate with leading research institutions and fill internships at leading biotech companies.

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