USC Dornsife scholars win Goldwater and Astronaut scholarships, and a prestigious fellowship
Two students at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, along with a recent graduate, have added to the expansive list of accolades received by USC Dornsife scholars.
A Goldwater Scholarship, an Astronaut Scholarship and a fellowship with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute will help advance three Trojan careers and support research that could fuel scientific discoveries.
Brandon Ye | Goldwater Scholarship
Brandon Ye’s two favorite subjects growing up were biology and computer science — interests he says felt at odds before he arrived at USC Dornsife. The senior has since found a way to merge the two with a major in quantitative biology, a minor in artificial intelligence applications, and a progressive master’s degree in quantitative and computational biology.
In his freshman year, Ye put his dual interests to work on cancer research under University Professor Peter Kuhn, Dean’s Professor of Biological Sciences at USC Dornsife and director of the Convergent Science Institute in Cancer (CSI-Cancer) at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience.
At CSI-Cancer, Ye’s research helps build more robust ways to model cancer with a variety of information, including data from biological compounds from tumor cells found circulating in the blood stream. This work using “liquid biopsy” samples helped earn him a Goldwater scholarship from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, which will contribute funds towards a graduate degree. Ye plans to attend medical school, where he’ll continue his fusion of computing and medical research.
“I think that new approaches in artificial intelligence are destined to change health care administration and patient care. I’m excited to combine my research with medical training to ensure that these advancements are implemented safely and sustainably at the bedside,” says Ye.
In addition to his work at CSI-Cancer, he has also conducted research with USC’s Street Medicine program, is the editor-in-chief of the Southern California Undergraduate Research Journal and serves as president of USC’s Quantitative Biology Association.
Miguel Mercado | Astronaut Scholarship
Miguel Mercado, a senior majoring in physics and mathematics at USC Dornsife, as well as computer science at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, was awarded an Astronaut Scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Six Mercury 7 astronauts formed the foundation in 1984 to encourage university students in their scientific studies and retain the United States’ technological edge.
Mercado’s research focuses on theoretical condensed matter physics, which uses mathematics and modeling to better understand why materials like metals or magnets behave the way they do. He works closely with Stephan Haas, professor of physics and astronomy at USC Dornsife, and often makes use of the computers at the new IBM Quantum Innovation Center at USC to conduct his work.
It’s a field ripe for new discovery, says Mercado. “I believe that, despite its 100-plus year history, we are really still just at the start of understanding quantum mechanics meaningfully, and how we may potentially harness it to develop interesting technologies.”
The scholarship, which provides $15,000 towards his tuition, will help Mercado pursue his goal of completing a doctorate in physics. He’s hoping to become a professor with his own research lab one day, a choice he sees as part of a larger movement broadening the diversity of the field.
“I hope this award sheds more attention on underrepresented minorities in theoretical physics, which is a historically homogeneous field,” says Mercado, who is also director of the USC Physics and Astronomy Mentorship Program. “I think that the culture in physics is going to rapidly diversify in the next few years. I hope that I can be a part of that change.”
Giancarlo Ceja ’24 | Fellowship with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
Ceja, who graduated this spring from USC Dornsife with bachelor’s degrees in environmental studies and international relations, has a personal interest in addressing climate change and pollution. He grew up in Riverside County, a largely low-income area of Southernn California’s Inland Empire, with often sweltering summertime temperatures and worsening air quality, thanks to the thousands of trucks visiting its growing sprawl of warehouses.
“I noticed things in terms of environmental justice that were off,” he said. “There are fewer trees in my community compared to richer neighborhoods, and there is a lot more asphalt, so it is a lot hotter.” At USC Dornsife, Ceja honed his interest in environmental issues, conducting research on urban heat islands through USC Environmental Health Centers’ EH MATTERS program and interning with the USC Sea Grant program as well as Heal the Bay.
Ceja can technically claim three awards. He was accepted for a Fulbright Award, a Luce Scholarship, and a nine-month public policy fellowship with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. He ultimately chose the fellowship, to build experience in environmental policy and public service.
“This is exactly the realm where I would like work in the future,” he said. “I want to be part of a movement that helps to enact meaningful change, that helps protect people that are most at risk from climate change. I want to help influence and draft policy.”
Ceja plans to get a master’s degree in public policy and then a law degree, with the aim of improving the environmental conditions of places like his hometown.
Read more about Giancarlo Ceja on USC Today >>
Applying for scholarships at USC
USC’s Academic Honors and Fellowships program helps students such as Ye, Mercado and Ceja apply for competitive scholarships, providing advice, essay reviews and mock interviews to help them prepare for national competitions.
Students interested in applying for Goldwater, Luce, Astronaut and other scholarships and awards may contact them at ahfstaff@usc.edu.