Four 榴莲视频 students received scholarships from the Goldwater Foundation this year, highlighting the juniors鈥� work in environmental science, bioengineering and neuroscience.
Luciana Calle, Lorenzo McCleese, Alen Poehlman and Rachel Yin are among 454 Goldwater Scholars named across the country, chosen from nearly 1,500 students nominated by 482 academic institutions. Scholars receive up to $7,500 per academic year as part of the award.
The scholarships recognize the University鈥檚 commitment to undergraduate excellence and research.
“We are so proud of and inspired by these students,” said Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. “The ways they are applying the knowledge and skills they gain here toward research and innovation that benefits the broader public鈥檚 health and well-being is exactly what we aim for with a UW undergraduate education.鈥�
This year鈥檚 UW Goldwater Scholars research vaccines to combat malaria, the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, the ability for post-wildfire lands in Eastern Washington to build future resilience, and mapping of mice brains.
Read on to learn more about the scholars and their work.
Luciana Calle, 鈥�27
Major: Environmental Science and Resource Management
Hometown: Sammamish, WA
During the pandemic, Luciana Calle became interested in gardening. She planted tomatoes and herbs in her backyard, excited to see them grow.
But during the summer of 2021, Washington experienced a heat dome where temperatures peaked above 100 degrees. Calle watched as the plants in her garden died in the sweltering heat.
That experience, along with living near a forest, sparked an interest in plant science and how climate-driven disturbances such as severe heat events affect ecosystems.
鈥淵ou think climate change is just greenhouse gases, but it鈥檚 actually so much more than that,鈥� Calle said. 鈥淲hen I first learned the science behind it during my first quarter at the UW, it opened my eyes to what climate change actually is and how it can relate to the plant science field.鈥�
When she got to the UW, Calle decided to turn both of those interests into research with the and . As part of that work, she studies how ponderosa pines in Eastern Washington are affected by wildfires and drought, events that are worsened by climate change. She tests soil and seedlings at different temperatures to see how heat and previous fire suppression activities affect both plants鈥� and its associated microbiome鈥檚 ability to regrow and become more resilient to heat events.
Calle uses this research to help provide guidance on post-fire forest management to tribes and the state Department of Natural Resources. Her work could lead to more ways that communities can prevent and recover from wildfires, which are only becoming more prevalent in the West.
Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship will help her continue this work and connect with other researchers across the nation, said Calle, who plans to pursue a Ph.D. after her undergraduate years.
Calle said she is grateful for all the support from her mentors, especially Claire Willing and Dr. Soo-Hyung Kim.
鈥淭his is such a big recognition,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e only just begun researching, and this really solidified everything I鈥檝e been studying and affirmed my passion for this field.鈥�
Lorenzo Roel Flores McCleese, 鈥�27
Major: Environmental Science and Informatics
Hometown: Port Townsend, WA
Lorenzo McCleese spent his childhood exploring the outdoors and volunteering at his local marine science center in his hometown of Port Townsend.
鈥淎nimals and ecosystems were some of my first passions,鈥� McCleese said.
Over time, he learned how climate change was impacting those ecosystems, and he began to see firsthand how those impacts were disproportionately affecting coastal communities and communities of color.
McCleese, a Mary Gates Scholar, a 2025 and 2026 Udall Undergraduate Scholarship recipient and a departmental honors student, took these interests into his research projects at the UW.
McCleese works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration鈥檚 Alaska Fisheries Science Center to research how climate change impacts Indigenous communities. He studies oral histories from these communities through coding and spatial analysis to understand how climate change is impacting the Alaska region.
He also works with the University of California Davis where he investigates the presence and stability of climate refuges for sea snails known as red abalone along the California coast.
鈥淭his research is really important for understanding how ecosystems and humans are going to be impacted by climate change,鈥� McCleese said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about how we mitigate the risks and the negative impacts, how we persist past this.鈥�
He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in environmental or data sciences. Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship is an important stepping stone to reach that goal, McCleese said. He said he is grateful for the support from Em Markowitz and Sophia Wassermann from the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center and Mikaela Provost and Jessie Bolin from UC Davis.
Alen Poehlman, 鈥�27
Major: Biochemistry
Hometown: Tacoma, WA
Alen Poehlman first became interested in infectious disease research in high school while working on a school project about malaria.
Poehlman loved studying microbes and parasites and seeing how different organisms develop.
During his first-year at the UW, Poehlman began studying immunology and vaccinology with the . Since then, he鈥檚 received funding from the Amgen Scholars program and the Levinson Emerging Scholars program, which funds his current research.
His goal is to help develop an mRNA vaccine to combat malaria worldwide. To do that, he and his fellow researchers must determine which proteins in malaria could be the best candidates to target in a vaccine.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very clear how immunology research is connected to health outcomes, like new vaccines,鈥� he said.
The malaria research community is a tight-knit group, Poehlman said, so he can easily see how his work is affecting labs across the world and vice versa.
鈥淭his research spans continents and generations,鈥� Poehlman said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a super diverse community. That鈥檚 what helps you have so many unique ideas.鈥�
Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship will help Poehlman continue this work in graduate school where he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in pathobiology. Eventually, he hopes to lead his own lab focused on developing vaccines for infectious diseases.
Poehlman points to his professors and mentors, including UW professor Dr. Sean Murphy and UCLA assistant professor Dr. Lena Pernas, as being instrumental in his growth as a researcher.
鈥淭his is a recognition of the work myself and my mentors have put in,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 know being a mentor is a huge commitment, so it鈥檚 nice to see that work recognized.鈥�
Rachel Yin, 鈥�27
Major: Bioengineering and Neuroscience
Hometown: Boston, MA
Rachel Yin came to the UW as an engineering student, but she wasn鈥檛 sure which track she wanted as her focus. During her first quarter, she took a seminar class in computational neuroscience.
鈥淚 saw how bioengineering and neuroscience and software engineering could combine into one field,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was really fascinated by it.鈥�
Yin, and student, then joined the to help conduct research mapping mouse brains. In that work, she analyzes reconstructed locations of tiny electrode tracks placed in different parts of a mouse鈥檚 brain. The goal is to create one validated map to help with future research in the field.
Mice are widely used as model organisms in neuroscience research, Yin said, and building an accurate map of their brains could help researchers target specific areas and create more cohesion among studies throughout the neuroscience field. Better understanding mice brains can then help researchers better understand human brains.
During her time at the UW, Yin has helped lead neuroscience outreach initiatives and taken part in mentorship opportunities, but one of the best parts about the UW is how accessible its research opportunities are, she said.
鈥淎ny passionate undergraduate who wants to do research can do research at the UW,鈥� Yin said. 鈥淓veryone is excited for you to learn.鈥�
Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship was a huge surprise to Yin, who plans to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience and eventually model the physical and functional architecture of the brain. Yin credits the mentorship of associate professor Nicholas Steinmetz and research scientist Kimberly Miller and the support from professor Aravinthan D.T. Samuel and teaching professor Christopher Neils to her growth as a researcher and student.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard sometimes to feel like you belong in science, especially as an undergraduate,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very grateful for this recognition.鈥�
About the Goldwater Foundation
The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established in 1986. The scholarship honors Sen. Barry Goldwater and was designed to identify, encourage and support undergraduates pursuing research careers in science, engineering and mathematics.
Learn more about scholarship opportunities
The Goldwater Scholarship application process is supported by the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards, an Undergraduate Academic Affairs program. The office works with students, faculty and staff to identify and support undergraduate students and alumni to become strong candidates for scholarships.