COSAM
STUDENT
HIGHLIGHTS
from around campus and beyond
COSAM Student Receives
Fulbright Scholarship
Gordon Named Goldwater Scholar
Graham Gordon, a COSAM Honors College
student double-majoring in mathematics and
physics, has been chosen as a 2014 Barry M.
Goldwater Scholar, an honor that is only bestowed
to approximately 300 students nationwide each
year.
The scholarship is widely considered the most
prestigious award in the United States for
undergraduates in STEM disciplines.
Gordon, of Aiken, S.C., conducts research under
the guidance of Professor Peter Nylen in the
Department of Mathematics and Statistics. He
is also an undergraduate teaching assistant with
Professor Joe Perez in the Department of Physics,
and he previously participated in a research group
studying computational Rydberg atomic physics.
“I would like to thank Dr. Nylen for being an ideal
research adviser and Dr. Paul Harris (associate
director for national prestigious scholarships)
for guiding me during the application process,”
Gordon said. “Anyone pursuing research in a
STEM field should consider this scholarship.
Applying is an enlightening experience itself.”
Gordon’s primary research involves partial
distance matrix completion with multilateration
applications to wireless sensor network
localization, and his publications include an article
in the Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and
Optical Physics.
16
Journey/2014
“As Graham’s undergraduate research mentor,
I told him I thought the most important thing
was that he enjoy learning about his chosen
topic,” Nylen said. “I think he does indeed love
mathematical research. Graham is also blessed
with analytic skills and the ability to express ideas
in the written word. It has been a privilege to
work with him.”
Gordon traveled to Budapest, Hungary, in June
to participate in the Budapest Semesters in
Mathematics summer program at the Technical
University of Budapest.
“Graham has already accomplished a great deal
during his first three years at Auburn,” said
Melissa Baumann, Auburn University assistant
provost and director of the Honors College.
“The Goldwater Scholarship is well-deserved
recognition of his academic talents and we
anticipate great future success for him as he
pursues his studies in physics and mathematics.”
Harris said, “It was a pleasure assisting Graham
with his application and it is especially gratifying
to see someone who has worked so hard in
the classroom, in the research lab, and in his
after-school tutoring program with Loachapoka
Middle School pay off with this national
recognition.”
(Written by Charles Martin, Office of
Communications and Marketing)
COSAM Honors College student Jamesa Stokes,
a senior physics major, was awarded a Fulbright
Scholarship to continue her studies in Germany
during summer and fall of 2014.
Stokes is conducting research at the German
Space Agency’s Institute of Structures in Design in
Stuttgart. An Atlanta native, Stokes has completed
internships with Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Md., and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena, Calif. In addition, she was a Benjamin
A. Gilman International Scholar to Reutlingen,
Germany. Her research investigates the behavior
of fiber-oriented ceramics during hypersonic flight
to develop better thermal protection systems for
spaceflight vehicles.
“I studied in Germany in fall 2012, and it was my
first time traveling outside of the country, so it was
truly an amazing experience,” Stokes said. “Now I
can go back and experience more of Germany while
doing research that interests me at the same time.”
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international
educational exchange program sponsored by the
U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual
understanding between the people of the United
States and the people of other countries. Recipients
are selected on the basis of academic or professional
achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership
potential.
Auburn has had 10 Fulbright recipients in the past
five years, and this year for the first time, Auburn
had three winners in one year.
Recent COSAM Graduate
Named Gates Cambridge
Scholarship Finalist
Recent Graduate Patrick Donnan
Named Marshall Scholar and
Rhodes Scholar Finalist
Recent COSAM graduate Mary-Catherine
Anderson of Huntsville was named a finalist for
the Gates Cambridge Scholarship to do postgraduate work at the University of Cambridge
in the United Kingdom.
COSAM senior Patrick Donnan was named a
recipient of the prestigious Marshall Scholarship,
becoming one of only 40 U.S. students selected
to attend their choice of university in the United
Kingdom.
Anderson was a COSAM senior in cellular
and microbial biology when she was named
a Gates Cambridge Scholarship finalist. She
graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade-point
average and during her time at Auburn, she
conducted research under the direction of
Mike Squillacote, associate professor in the
Department of Chemistry. She graduated in
May 2014.
Donnan is an Auburn native who graduated with a
3.98 grade-point average and was a student in the
Honors College. He double-majored in physics and
music, with a concentration on the bassoon and a
minor in mathematics. He is also a 2013 Barry M.
Goldwater Scholar.
“I am truly humbled,” Donnan said. “Receiving
the Marshall Scholarship is the culmination of all
the work that my professor