Gustavus Adolphus College junior Abby Trouth has been named the recipient of a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate award for students pursuing careers in mathematics, sciences, and engineering.
Selected from a pool of over 1,200 applicants who had already been vetted from a group of nearly 5,000 high-performing college sophomores and juniors, Trouth joins 495 other students from across the nation as a winner of the prestigious scholarship.
Goldwater Scholars have impressive academic and research credentials that have garnered the attention of prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs. Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 92 Rhodes Scholarships, 137 Marshall Awards, 159 Churchill Scholarships, 104 Hertz Fellowships, and numerous other distinguished awards like the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, according to the organization’s release.
Raised by parents who taught chemistry and biology, it’s only natural that Trouth chose to major in biochemistry and molecular biology at Gustavus. As a high school senior, the Plymouth, Minn. native made her college decision after learning about Gustavus’s First-Year Research Experience (FYRE) program, which pairs students with faculty mentors in the natural sciences or mathematics to conduct research the summer before their sophomore year.
“The FYRE program and other research opportunities at Gustavus teach not only technical skills but troubleshooting,” Trouth said. “Science isn’t a quick process, it’s one that requires patience, attention to detail, and lots of reflection.”
“Abby is focused but open to new opportunities in science,” biology and chemistry professor and Trouth’s advisor Jeff Dahlseid said. The two met when she visited campus as a prospective student. “Since she arrived at Gustavus, she has wanted to benefit from any insight or opportunity.”
Dahlseid and his colleagues have obliged, connecting her two January research experiences, the FYRE program, and chemistry lab experience at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a Snyder Scholar last summer. At Gustavus, she’s been particularly active in chemistry professor Scott Bur’s lab, exploring genetic mechanisms in parasites that can cause diseases and making DNA modifications to gene-regulating proteins to learn more about gene storage and expression. This summer, Trouth will conduct research at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus through the RNA Bioscience Initiative Summer Internship Program.
Outside of her science coursework and experiences, Trouth is a member of the College’s Three Crowns Curriculum and Chemistry Club and plays violin in the Gustavus Philharmonic Orchestra. “I knew I wanted a smaller college where I could develop personal relationships and follow my passions in different areas,” she said. “The Three Crowns Curriculum has been especially helpful in developing my discussion and presentation skills and ability to make thoughtful connections between disciplines. As a scientist, I knew those would be important skills.”
After graduating from Gustavus next spring, Trouth plans to continue to graduate school in biochemistry and molecular biology.
For more information about the Gustavus Fellowships Office and the support it gives to students, please visit the fellowship website.
The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on November 14, 1986. The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
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