Junior Chemistry Major Wins Goldwater Scholarship Posted on April 4th, 2011 by

Steve Groskreutz '12

Gustavus Adolphus College junior ACS chemistry major Steve Groskreutz is the recipient of a 2011 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate award for students pursuing careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. Groskreutz, a Faribault native, is the seventh Gustavus student since 2000 to receive a Goldwater Scholarship.

Groskreutz has achieved significant research experience during his three years at Gustavus, thanks in large part to grants the College has received from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation. He has worked in the chromatography lab of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dwight Stoll during January terms and summer months over the past three years, assisting Stoll in his efforts to develop fast two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography as an analytical tool capable of quickly separating and quantifying chemical constituents of complex mixtures.

The first publication that involved his work was published last year in the Journal of Chromatography, A. Stoll and Groskreutz are currently awaiting the review of two other manuscripts they have submitted to the same journal. More recently, Stoll and Groskreutz attended the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif., where Groskreutz presented a poster on some of the work he has done in Stoll’s lab.

“Much of Steve’s success is due to a unique combination of qualities that only a small portion of undergraduate students possess,” Stoll said. “Among these are an excellent work ethic, a like-able personality, the ability to communicate both in written and oral forms, high intellectual potential, and a genuine interest in both coursework and research.”

This summer, Groskreutz will be working in the laboratory of Professor Stephen Weber at the University of Pittsburgh. Weber develops and studies high performance separation methods for the analysis of neurotransmitters in the brain, among other things.

Besides his interest in chemistry, Groskreutz is also a member of the Gustavus men’s track and field team where he competes in the hurdling events. After his scheduled graduation date at Gustavus in 2012, Groskreutz plans to pursue a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry and hopes to one day work for a large company in the agricultural business sector.

Groskreutz is one of 275 undergraduates to receive a 2011 Goldwater Scholarship, which covers the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year for two years. Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,085 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by faculty members of colleges and universities nationwide.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was authorized by the United States Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate. The scholarship program aims to alleviate a critical current and future shortage of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers and to provide a continuing source of highly qualified individuals to those fields of academic study and research.

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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510

 

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