October 29, 2004: Volume 62, Number 8

Shira Mandel a Goldwater; others sought

As Shira Mandel '05, this year's winner of a Barry Goldwater Scholarship, prepares her applications for Ph.D. programs in chemical engineering, Prof. Ann Anderson seeks nominations for Union students to follow in her footsteps.

"It's a prestigious award and it's been nice to have all that comes with it," said Mandel of the prize that provides up to $7,500 per year to undergraduates who are destined for doctoral study. "All that comes with it" includes offers for other scholarships and instant credibility with the nation's top graduate programs, she said.

Anderson, who advises Mandel in the Aerogel Lab, said that the College's Goldwater Scholars, numbering four since 2002, also help the College's recognition among high schoolers who show promise in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering.

"This is really the type of award that helps not just the winners, but all of our students," she said. "This puts our programs on the radars of the best graduate schools and it makes Union an appealing choice for top high school students." Other recent recipients are Mark Hoffman '03, Desiree Plata '03, and Will Johnson '02.

The Goldwater puts a premium on undergraduate research with possible applications, notes Mandel, a double major in chemistry and mechanical engineering. "They want to see that you've completed research and that it has applications that you've thought about as you do the research," she said.

Mandel, a three-year member of the College's Aerogel Team, this year is researching the chemical precursors of aerogels and how altering them can change the properties of the ultra-light matrix materials that make excellent insulators. Her senior project involves a process to make aerogels out of aluminum.

The College's Aerogel Team, directed by Prof. Anderson of mechanical engineering, and Prof. Mary Carroll of chemistry, has been focused on finding improvements in the manufacturing process and on characterizing the properties of the aerogels produced. They have applied for a patent on a process they call a "Fast Supercritical Extraction Technique for Simplified Aerogel Fabrication." The lab is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Mandel, a native of Hamden, Conn., was selected last spring as one of 310 Barry Goldwater Scholars from a nationwide pool of more than 1,100 finalists.

At Union, she has been a leader of Hillel; a campus tour guide; and a member of  Pi Tau Sigma, the mechanical engineering honor society, and Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society.

Prof. Anderson, the College's coordinator of the Goldwater Scholarship Program, asks faculty to nominate sophomores or juniors of high standing who have experience in undergraduate research and an interest in careers in mathematics, science or engineering. Pre-medical students are not eligible. Nominations are due to Prof. Anderson (andersoa@union.edu) by Nov. 5.

For more on the Goldwater Scholarships, visit: http://www.act.org/goldwater/

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