Apr 15, 2011 - Claremont, Calif. -

Engineering major Isabel Bush ’12 has been awarded a Goldwater Scholarship to support her studies in biomedical engineering.

The one-year scholarship will provide up to $7,500 to help cover costs such as tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Bush plans to obtain a doctorate degree and pursue a career in biomedical device design.

“I am inspired by the diverse and ingenious ways in which species survive in varied environments in nature and would like to study and emulate these processes,” Bush said. “I believe we can produce many new medicines, medical devices, and even energy sources through enhanced biomimicry, and thus look forward to pursuing this work in graduate school and my career.”

HMC’s interdisciplinary curriculum helped foster and refine Bush’s passion. Her lessons in chemical and mechanical engineering provided a better understanding of biological processes and material properties, she said, and knowledge gained in her electrical, digital and mechanical engineering courses will support her future work in designing new biomedical devices.

Project work, she said, bolstered her confidence by allowing her to practice classroom lessons in real-world environments. These included a sophomore year E80 bridge project and the development of a solar-powered water and lighting system last summer at a school in Kenya. The Kenyan project—which required students to improvise using limited, available materials—proved her most challenging and impactful project experience.

“That experience solidified my desire to be an engineer,” she said. “It was satisfying to apply my classroom knowledge to a real situation; to work through the frustrations and triumphs of solving a difficult problem; to be forced by necessity to be creative; and, to realize from the local reaction that our work had bettered lives.”

Bush was one of 275 Goldwater Scholars chosen from a field of 1,095 math, science and engineering students nominated by faculty members at colleges and universities nationwide. Selected based upon academic merit, this year’s Scholars include 194 students majoring in science and related majors, 52 engineering majors and 24 math majors.  One hundred seventy of the Scholars are men, 105 are women, and virtually all intend to pursue doctorate degrees.

The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on November 14, 1986. In honor of Senator Barry M. Goldwater, the program 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 premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.