Two Williams College Students Receive Goldwater Scholarships
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College juniors Wyndom Chace and Ben Maron have been named recipients of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship for the 2020-21 academic year.
The scholarship is designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.
A chemistry major from North Kingstown, R.I., Chace plans to pursue a Ph.D. in environmental chemistry, with an emphasis on researching atmospheric climate change processes. An aspiring research chemist, she hopes to someday make a major contribution to the mitigation of climate change through chemistry research and aid the development of technological solutions.
"By expanding scientific understanding of the chemical processes of climate change, I hope that my work will influence environmental policy and/or lead to the development of technological developments that can reduce anthropogenic impacts on the global climate system," said Chace, who is also a recipient of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship, the Harold H. Warren Prize in Chemistry, and CRC Press Chemistry Achievement Award.
At Williams, she is a member of the Environmental Council, has volunteered with the Williams Recovery of All Perishable Surplus (WRAPS) program, and was named a NESCAC All-Academic (cross country) in 2018 and 2019.
Maron, a biology and mathematics major from Sudbury, Mass., plans to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular biology, researching the mechanisms of human disease. With plans to enter academia as a research professor, he hopes to explore possible treatments for cancer and other diseases.
"Like so many others, cancer has affected my immediate family and so I am very motivated to pursue a career investigating possible treatments," said Maron, who has conducted research at Brigham and Women's Hospital, MIT, and the Broad Institute.
At Williams, he has engaged in research with assistant professor of biology Pei-Wen Chen, whose lab focuses on the effect of the Arf-GAP gene ASAP1 on the cytoskeleton, particularly in the context of ovarian cancer. In addition, Maron was selected to the Class of 1960s Scholars Program, and he is also a member of the Williamstown Fire Department and plays viola in the Berkshire Symphony and the Chamber Orchestra of Williams.
"Congratulations to Wyndom and Ben, as well as to their mentors, on this prestigious national award," said Katya King, director of Fellowships at Williams College. "Their success in the Goldwater competition is a reflection of their prodigious talents and work ethic, as well as the exceptional research opportunities they have pursued, both on and off campus, as undergraduates at Williams."
