Rosalie Sowers, of State College, is double-majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology and computer science. She received honorable mention from the Goldwater Foundation last year and also has been the recipient of the Evan Pugh Scholarship, the Homer Braddock Scholarship, and the Lockheed Martin Corporation Scholarship.

"I am extremely honored to have been awarded the Goldwater scholarship," Sowers said. "It is gratifying to receive recognition for the hard work that I have put into my research over the past several years."

"The Fellowships Office provided constructive and targeted feedback on my application materials throughout the process to help give me the best chance of succeeding," she said. "It forced me to think critically about my long-term career aspirations. As a result, I now feel more confident about the steps I want to take when I graduate from Penn State."

Sowers said she would like to pursue a career in genomics. She said recent intersections between computer and life sciences have opened up new opportunities for studies of the human genome.

"Rosie's research accomplishments alone are tremendous," said Song Tan, Sowers' research mentor and professor of biochemistry. "What is astounding is that she manages to lead a research project and to mentor others in our lab while also excelling in 22 credits of coursework a semester."