Juniata Biology Student from Lititz, Pa. Receives Goldwater Honorable Mention
(Posted May 13, 2013)
Share this article:
HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Alyssa Grube, a Juniata College junior studying biology from Lititz, Pa., received an Honorable Mention designation for her research proposal in the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, which is chosen based on academic merit in mathematics, science and engineering.
Grube is the daughter of Stan and Carol Grube, of Lititz, and is a 2010 graduate of Warwick High School.
"I remember going in a lab during a tour of Juniata and seeing a student doing independent research and thinking 'I really want (that person) to be me' because I thought it would be so fun to work in a lab on my own," she says. "Working with Regina Lamendella (assistant professor of biology) this year, we have gone to funding groups and done presentations to directly ask if they will fund our project. It's a novel, engaged way to approach science and foster public interest in research."
Grube was chosen from a field of more than 1,000 students from hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide.
The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 in 1986. The scholarship program honoring the late Sen. Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, natural sciences and engineering.
"Working with Regina Lamendella (assistant professor of biology) this year, we have gone to funding groups and done presentations to directly ask if they will fund our project. It's a novel, engaged way to approach science and foster public interest in research."
Alyssa Grube, junior
Grube began her undergraduate research experience at Juniata in her sophomore year as she worked with Jill Keeney, professor of biology. She worked on a project that tried to characterize the function of a protein in yeast.
After her sophomore year, Grube spent the summer of 2012 at the University of North Carolina's School of Medicine as part of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. She worked in the laboratory of researcher Rita Tamayo to study a gene in the cholera bacteria and how it activates changes in its host cells.
Grube also spent the fall semester 2012 studying abroad at the University of San Francisco, Quito, in Quito, Ecuador. She was able to join a research team at that university that was focused on wastewater treatment and soil remediation.
During the 2012-2013 academic year, Grube has continued her research career with Regina Lamendella, assistant professor of biology at Juniata. Grube is analyzing date related to the Soil Microbiome Project.
Grube continues to be active in other activities on campus. She serves as secretary of the Juniata chapter of the American Society for Microbiology and will be co-president of the club in her senior year. She also is vice president of Tri-Beta, the Juniata chapter of the national biology honor society.
She presented her research projects at Juniata's 2012 Liberal Arts Symposium and the 2013 Liberal Arts Symposium. During her freshman and sophomore years, Grube competed on the cross country team and on the track team.
Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.