Student Awards
The Dorothy C. and J. Arthur Campbell Prize
This prize was donated by friends to honor Dorothy C. and J. Arthur Campbell. The Campbells' commitment to Harvey Mudd College began at the opening of the College in 1957. This prize acknowledges the great contributions of the Campbells and honors a senior chemistry for his/her achievement and promise. |
Karen Brown '08 |
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My experience in the Harvey Mudd chemistry department has enabled an incredible amount of growth, both personally and academically. My first interactions with the faculty members in the department impressed me with the kindness and interest shown in my development. The faculty was incredibly encouraging of my summer internship at Amgen two summers ago, where I discovered my love of synthetic organic chemistry. Since then, I have worked with Professor Vosburg on the synthesis of (+)-davanone, which has challenged me in many ways as I learn more about chemistry research and life in lab. |
The William G. Sly Prize
This Prize was donated by friends to honor Professor Bill "The Snowman" Sly. Throughout his thirty-four years of understanding and love of learning that were an inspiration to colleagues and students alike. This prize honors a junior chemistry who exemplifies the curiosity, intellectual integrity, and enthusiasm that Bill brought to his teaching and research.
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Nancy Eisenmenger |
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When I discovered Mudd, I was very attracted to its remarkable style. I loved the idea of a small liberal arts college, but I have known, ever since I was a small child, that I wanted to be a scientist. Mudd fulfills all of my criteria because of its unique combination of sciences and humanities in a small school environment. Before I came to Mudd, I always dreamed of working in a lab and doing research. Mudd gave me a chance for that dream to become a reality. At Mudd, not only do I take lab courses for the Chemistry major, but as an undergraduate, I am also able to do research with professors. This research gives me an excellent opportunity to test out which branches of chemistry I like best. In my experience, the chemistry professors at Mudd are inspiring and enthusiastic and they care about every single student. They are interested in not only my success in academic courses during the school year, but also in my opportunities to learn about chemistry during the summer. Due to advice and help from professors, I spent last summer conducting research in Mainz, Germany at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research. My time at Mudd prepared me exceedingly well for this opportunity and I enjoyed the experience immensely. Another wonderful thing that I appreciate about Mudd is the collaboration that occurs between students and also the academic support that is available for us. I do my part to participate in the system of academic support and collaboration by tutoring chemistry for the Academic Excellence program, which is a very rewarding experience. After I graduate from Mudd, I plan to study chemistry in graduate school and then I hope to have a career in research. |
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Jonathan Litz '09 |
| There was never a doubt in my mind that Harvey Mudd was the school for me. Providing me with a friendly, supportive student body, challenging academics, and the opportunity to explore ideas one-on-one with outstanding professors, HMC has helped me to mature both as a student and as a person. When I first entered Mudd, I knew that I enjoyed chemistry but I had not yet discovered my real passion for it. As a result of many stimulating, thought-provoking courses, my appreciation for the subject has grown tremendously. The opportunity to work in Prof. Karukstis’ lab, where I study the non-covalent interactions of biologically analogous systems, has also given me insight into the life and work of a real-world research chemist. I love the challenge and rigor of analyzing hundreds of pieces of data for weeks at a time. Finding trends, proposing theories, and then performing further tests to see if my theories are correct is fascinating, intense, and fun. When the results prove a theory of mine is correct, the feeling of pure, unadulterated satisfaction is hard to beat. Last year through a science and math education course, I was able to explore another interest of mine, teaching. Tutoring students at Pomona High School and even lecturing some of them on game theory was exciting and fun and reinforced my enthusiasm for the teaching profession. This year I enjoyed also being able to share my love for Mudd with the incoming freshmen as I helped plan and implement their orientation. The only things more intellectually stimulating than the classes I have taken at HMC are my fellow students and professors, who provide me with great friendship and support. Looking back at my years as a Mudder so far, I can say with total honesty that Mudd has been a perfect fit. |
Goldwater Scholarship
The award was created to honor the memory of 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 purpose of the Foundation is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields.
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Ethan S. Sokol |
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Scholar
The Beckman Scholars Program is a prestigious and competitive program of scholarships and research stipends for undergraduate students at U.S. colleges and universities. In 2004, Harvey Mudd College was selected to participate in a three-year round of awards for students in biology, chemistry, and interdisciplinary combinations of biology and chemistry. Students apply to a committee of faculty members at HMC, who then nominate one or two students as Beckman Scholars. The award includes funding for research supplies and travel.
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Matt Hoss '08 |
My Experience as a Beckman Scholar
A. The Selection Process
The selection process was an excellent experience because it gave me a chance to develop and defend an in-depth research proposal. In both academia and industry, it is an invaluable ability to be able to identify a problem and then outline a project which will address that problem. Many students do not get this experience until they are working on a senior thesis or in graduate school. Beginning to think critically about both my research and its implications at such an early time in my education gave me a step up from my peers.
B. The Research Experience
The research experience gave me an excellent view of the type of research conducted across the nation. Unlike the canned experiments presented in many laboratory classes, my research project gave me the freedom to be creative and try new procedures. But with that freedom came the responsibility of pursing problems and finding elusive solutions. For many months at a time, I struggled to work with difficult substrates and failing reactions. While for many students it can become frustrating spending week after week on the same project, for me it became a challenge to push myself and stretch my imagination. From carefully planning out each step of an experiment to carrying out the intricate details, I feel my time researching as a Beckman Scholar has put me well on the road to acquiring all of the skills necessary to become an excellent researcher.
C. The Benefit of Mentor-Supervised Research
It’s vital to have a mentor who is well read in your topic of study and thoroughly understands your project and can provide input. It is also equally important to have a mentor who can step back and allow their research student to explore any particular problem for themselves. In these two areas, Professor Haushalter has done an amazing job. I was allowed to develop my own project and alter the course of that project as the research progressed. For the past year and a half I have been responsible for the successes and setbacks of my project. At the same time, whenever I needed assistance, Professor Haushalter was readily available and eager to help me understand any concepts with which I was having trouble.
D. The Advantages of the Beckman Scholarship
The Beckman Scholarship and symposium were both very valuable opportunities in my research training. The Beckman Scholarship eased some of the financial burden off of my lab, allowing me to purchase more expense substrates and advance my research at a much greater pace. Also, the scholarship allowed me to attend the American Chemical Society meeting last spring and present my research in poster form. As a Beckman Scholar, I also attended the annual Beckman Symposium which was by far the best of the three conferences I have attended this year. The small size of the conference really allowed me to talk with professors from all over the nation and establish important connections.
F. Career and/or Educational Plans
For the past two years I have worked in the area of DNA repair. This year I am senior and for my thesis work, I will be performing protein NMR on short, alpha-methylated peptides in an attempt to determine three-dimensional structure. In the spring of 2008 I will graduate from Harvey Mudd College and go on to pursue a doctoral degree in either biochemistry or biophysics. Although I have yet to identify a graduate school, I would like to look at transient DNA-protein binding interactions. After graduate school, I have not decided whether I would like to work academia or industry, however it is important that my work will be socially relevant.
Copyright 2008 Harvey Mudd College