For the second consecutive year, Elon University junior Amanda Leigh Clark has been recognized with an honorable mention in the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program, which awards scholarships to students planning for careers in science, math or engineering.
The biochemistry major and Lumen Scholar from Skaneateles, N.Y., was one of 1,111 students from colleges and universities across the United States who applied this year for the award.
Her current interests are in the role of the body’s immune system in the progression of atherosclerosis. She plans to pursue a medical degree and a Ph.D. following her Elon studies with the goal of conducting medical research in cardiology.
“My dream would be to perform biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, surrounded by other medical researchers with the same dedication and passion for pushing the boundaries of research to achieve new knowledge,” Clark wrote in her scholarship application.
Clark participated in the SURE program in 2008, working on Elon’s campus with mentor Kathy Matera, and in the Summer Research Training Program at the University of California at San Francisco in 2009.
An Elon College Fellow and an Elon Presidential Scholar recipient, she received the CRC Freshman Achievement in Chemistry Award two years ago and is a member of Beta Beta Beta, an honorary biology club. Clark is also involved with Phi Eta Sigma, and she is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.
Clark coordinates the Global Medical Brigades on campus, and she serves as the volunteer coordinator and administrative assistant at the Open Door Clinic of Alamance County.
She is the daughter of Jim and Jennifer Clark of Skaneateles, N.Y.
Authorized by Congress in 1986, the Goldwater scholarship program honoring former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater fosters and encourages outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of math, the natural sciences and engineering. The scholarship is considered the premier undergraduate award of its type in those fields.
Recipients receive up to $7,500 annually toward expenses for undergraduate tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Elon alum Geoffrey Lynn received a Goldwater Scholarship in 2005, the first Elon student ever to do so in the program’s history.