A Chehalis-raised sophomore microbiology student at Washington State University has received an honorable mention for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program.
Keesha Matz, daughter of Chehalis residents Dale and Anne Matz, is a WSU Regents Scholar, and member of the Honors College.
She plans to pursue a doctor’s degree in virology and would like to become a lead research scientist studying emerging viruses.
Matz came to WSU partially because of its Students Targeted Toward Advanced Research Studies program in the School of Molecular Biosciences. She spent her first of three research rotations studying the killer Nipah virus.
She received the honorable mention along with Angela Rocchi, 21, a junior neuroscience major from Elk. The Goldwater recipient was Ryan Summers, 21, from Stanwood. He will receive up to $7,500 to support his studies at WSU in computer engineering.
Matz received an outstanding presenter award at the national annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, and won a special award from the WSU Emeritus Society in its biosciences category for an oral presentation on the virus.
This summer she will present her work at ASM Microbe, an international gathering hosted in Boston by the American Society for Microbiology.
“These young scientists have been hard at work conducting research with faculty mentors in addition to being stellar scholars,” Mary Wack, WSU vice provost for undergraduate education, said. “They were outstanding applicants to Goldwater from WSU and we are very proud of each of them.”
The Goldwater awards are intended to support and enhance the education experience for STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — students involved in research.
