Friday, April 4, 2008
 
Writer: Joëlle Walls, 706/583-0727, jpwalls@uga.edu
Contact:  David S. Williams, 706/542-0532, dwilliam@uga.edu
 
UGA Honors and Franklin College student Vanessa del Valle receives 2008 Goldwater Scholarship
 
Athens, Ga. – Vanessa del Valle, a University of Georgia Honors student, has been selected as a 2008 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar, a prestigious national science award for sophomores and juniors who are excelling in mathematics, engineering and the natural sciences. 
 
Del Valle (right), a junior biology and psychology double major from Alpharetta, was chosen among a pool of 1,035 candidates from across the U.S. who were nominated by their colleges and universities. The one- and two-year scholarships provide funding for tuition, room and board and other educational expenses worth up to $7,500 per year. Del Valle’s selection brings the total of UGA recipients to 33 since 1995. UGA students have been named Goldwater Scholars every year since 2001.
 
UGA Honors and Franklin College students Tyler Kelly and Tulsi Patel were two of 157 recipients of Goldwater Honorable Mentions. Kelly, a junior from Alpharetta, is pursuing a bachelor’s/master’s degree in mathematics and a second bachelor’s degree in Romance languages. Patel, a junior from Acworth, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in genetics.
 
“The quality of the UGA student body has been reaffirmed by Vanessa’s receipt of a Goldwater Scholarship and the honorable mention citations awarded to Tyler and Tulsi,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams.  “UGA students are among the best this nation has to offer, and I am proud of the recognition they are receiving.”
 
Del Valle conducted social neuroscience research under the guidance of Keith Campbell, a professor of social psychology, during her first two years as a research apprentice through the Honors Program’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO). She has continued as a teaching assistant with the CURO apprentice program, supporting and mentoring the current apprentices.
 
Now, as a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Research Scholar, del Valle is investigating the molecular processes of enzymes associated with type II diabetes, in which individuals are resistant to insulin, in the laboratory of Lance Wells, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. She presented this research at the national level at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in the fall. 
 
Del Valle has been involved with the UGA chapter of the Association of Women in Science and serves on the Student Health Advisory Committee at UGA. She would like to enter an M.D./Ph.D. program, specializing in molecular biology, after graduating from UGA in spring 2009.

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