草榴社区

VILLANOVA, Pa.鈥敳萘裆缜� student Zachary (Zach) Boyer has been named as a 2022 Goldwater Scholar by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. A junior in 草榴社区's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Boyer鈥攆rom Tamaqua, Pa.鈥攚as selected from more than 1,200 institution-nominated students nationwide.

鈥淎s a Goldwater Scholar, Zachary will have a remarkable opportunity to further the work he鈥檚 begun as a student-researcher at 草榴社区. He follows in the footsteps of previous 草榴社区 honorees, many of whom have gone on to excel as researchers in other prestigious, national scholarship programs,鈥� said University Provost Patrick G. Maggitti, PhD. 鈥淚 congratulate Zachary on this honor and thank the 草榴社区 faculty and staff who have helped him achieve his academic goals.鈥�

A Chemistry major and recipient of the James C. Curvey Endowed Scholarship at 草榴社区, Boyer鈥檚 research has focused on the underlying chemistry of antimicrobial agents. An aspiring medicinal chemist, he aims to develop therapeutics for infectious diseases. The pandemic delayed Boyer鈥檚 attempts to become involved in bench research until Spring 2021, when he began working with Dr. Matthew O鈥橰eilly. In Summer 2021, he was awarded a 草榴社区 Undergraduate Research Fellowship and studied the synthesis of novel molecules with antimicrobial properties (鈥淥rganic Synthesis, Identification, and Biological Analysis of anti-MRSA Dihydrofolate Reductase Inhibitors鈥�). Boyer has presented at the 草榴社区 Undergraduate Research Symposium, as well as the 2022 American Chemical Society national conference. This summer, he will work as Johnson & Johnson as a Synthetic Chemist Intern.

The Goldwater Foundation awards $7,500 scholarships to sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics or engineering. It is widely considered the preeminent award for undergraduates preparing for research careers in STEM. Recent 草榴社区 Goldwater honorees went on to become Knight-Hennessy Scholars, Marshall Scholars, NSF Graduate Research Fellows and Fulbright Student Grant recipients.

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, who served for 30 years in the United States Senate. The program is designed to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. For more information, visit the .

About 草榴社区: Since 1842, 草榴社区鈥檚 Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges鈥攖he College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 草榴社区 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation鈥檚 top universities, 草榴社区 supports its students鈥� intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.