{"id":20750,"date":"2024-07-23T09:28:32","date_gmt":"2024-07-23T16:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=20750"},"modified":"2024-07-25T14:51:34","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T21:51:34","slug":"goldwater-and-astronaut-scholarships-for-usc-dornsife-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/goldwater-and-astronaut-scholarships-for-usc-dornsife-students\/","title":{"rendered":"USC Dornsife scholars win Goldwater and Astronaut scholarships, and a prestigious fellowship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                                    \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/07\/dclas_scholarship_winners_top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/07\/dclas_scholarship_winners_top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/07\/dclas_scholarship_winners_top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/07\/dclas_scholarship_winners_top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Photos of Giancarlo Ceja, Miguel Mercado and Brandon Ye\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  USC Dornsife alumnus Giancarlo Ceja and students Miguel Mercado and Brandon Ye stand out as exceptional Trojan scholars. (Photos: Courtesy of Giancarlo Ceja, Miguel Mercado and Brandon Ye.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=student\">Student<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>USC Dornsife scholars win Goldwater and Astronaut scholarships, and a prestigious fellowship<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Two students and one alumnus obtain highly competitive scholarships and a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute fellowship, supporting work in quantitative biology, physics and environmental policy.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Margaret Crable<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">July 23, 2024<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Brandon Ye | Goldwater Scholarship<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Brandon Ye\u2019s two favorite subjects growing up were biology and computer science \u2014 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qcb-dornsife.usc.edu\/\">quantitative biology<\/a>, a minor in <a href=\"https:\/\/itp.usc.edu\/academics\/artificial-intelligence-applications\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">artificial intelligence applications<\/a>, and a progressive master\u2019s degree in quantitative and computational biology.<\/p>\n<p>In his freshman year, Ye put his dual interests to work on cancer research under University Professor <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/peter-kuhn\/\">Peter Kuhn<\/a>, Dean\u2019s Professor of Biological Sciences at USC Dornsife and director of the <a href=\"http:\/\/kuhn.usc.edu\/\">Convergent Science Institute in Cancer (CSI-Cancer)<\/a> at the <a href=\"https:\/\/michelson.usc.edu\/\">USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>At CSI-Cancer, Ye\u2019s 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 \u201cliquid biopsy\u201d samples helped earn him a Goldwater scholarship from the <a href=\"https:\/\/goldwaterscholarship.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation<\/a>, which will contribute funds towards a graduate degree. Ye plans to attend medical school, where he\u2019ll continue his fusion of computing and medical research.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that new approaches in artificial intelligence are destined to change health care administration and patient care. I\u2019m excited to combine my research with medical training to ensure that these advancements are implemented safely and sustainably at the bedside,\u201d says Ye.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to his work at CSI-Cancer, he has also conducted research with USC\u2019s Street Medicine program, is the editor-in-chief of the Southern California Undergraduate Research Journal and serves as president of USC\u2019s Quantitative Biology Association.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Miguel Mercado | Astronaut Scholarship<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Miguel Mercado, a senior majoring in <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/physics\/\">physics<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/mathematics\/\">mathematics<\/a> at USC Dornsife, as well as computer science at the <a href=\"https:\/\/viterbischool.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Viterbi School of Engineering<\/a>, was awarded an Astronaut Scholarship from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.astronautscholarship.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Astronaut Scholarship Foundation<\/a>. Six <a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/25398-nasa-mercury-7-astronauts-first-americans-in-space.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mercury 7<\/a> astronauts formed the foundation in 1984 to encourage university students in their scientific studies and retain the United States\u2019 technological edge.<\/p>\n<p>Mercado\u2019s research focuses on theoretical condensed matter physics, which uses <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/mathematics\">mathematics<\/a> and modeling to better understand why materials like metals or magnets behave the way they do. He works closely with <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/stephan-haas\/\">Stephan Haas<\/a>, professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/physics\/\">physics and astronomy<\/a> at USC Dornsife, and often makes use of the computers at the new <a href=\"https:\/\/today.usc.edu\/ibm-agreement-boosts-uscs-quantum-computing-leadership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IBM Quantum Innovation Center at USC<\/a> to conduct his work.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a field ripe for new discovery, says Mercado. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The scholarship, which provides $15,000 towards his tuition, will help Mercado pursue his goal of completing a doctorate in physics. He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope this\u00a0award\u00a0sheds more attention on underrepresented minorities in theoretical physics, which is a historically homogeneous field,\u201d says Mercado, who is also director of the USC Physics and Astronomy Mentorship Program. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Giancarlo Ceja \u201924 | Fellowship with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ceja, who graduated this spring from USC Dornsife with bachelor\u2019s degrees in <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/environmental-studies\/\">environmental studies<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/poir\/international-relations-b-a\/\">international relations<\/a>, has a personal interest in addressing climate change and pollution. He grew up in Riverside County, a largely low-income area of Southernn California\u2019s Inland Empire, with often sweltering summertime temperatures and worsening air quality, thanks to the thousands of trucks visiting its growing sprawl of warehouses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI noticed things in terms of environmental justice that were off,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/today.usc.edu\/usc-marching-band-section-leaders-fight-for-climate-justice-is-personal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he said<\/a>. \u201cThere are fewer trees in my community compared to richer neighborhoods, and there is a lot more asphalt, so it is a lot hotter.\u201d At USC Dornsife, Ceja honed his interest in environmental issues, conducting research on urban heat islands through USC Environmental Health Centers\u2019 EH MATTERS program and interning with the <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/uscseagrant\/\">USC Sea Grant program<\/a> as well as Heal the Bay.<\/p>\n<p>Ceja can technically claim three awards. He was accepted for a Fulbright Award, a <a href=\"https:\/\/lucescholars.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Luce Scholarship<\/a>, and a nine-month public policy fellowship with the <a href=\"https:\/\/chci.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute<\/a>. He ultimately chose the fellowship, to build experience in environmental policy and public service.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is exactly the realm where I would like work in the future,\u201d he said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ceja plans to get a master\u2019s degree in public policy and then a law degree, with the aim of improving the environmental conditions of places like his hometown.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/today.usc.edu\/usc-marching-band-section-leaders-fight-for-climate-justice-is-personal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Read more about Giancarlo Ceja on USC Today &gt;&gt;<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Applying for scholarships at USC<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>USC\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/ahf.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Academic Honors and Fellowships<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>Students interested in applying for Goldwater, Luce, Astronaut and other scholarships and awards may contact them at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:ahfstaff@usc.edu\">ahfstaff@usc.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-dornsife-magazine-wins-prsa-2026-bronze-anvil-award\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC Dornsife Magazine honored with one of the communications field\u2019s most prestigious awards<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-dornsife-graduate-wins-us-innovation-competition-heads-to-world-final\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC Dornsife graduate wins US innovation competition, heads to world final<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/natalia-molina-awarded-2026-guggenheim-fellowship\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Natalia Molina awarded 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two students and one alumnus win Goldwater and Astronaut scholarships, and a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute fellowship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":20751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,24,17],"tags":[76],"class_list":["post-20750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-and-technology","category-social-impact","category-student","tag-awards-and-honors"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>USC Dornsife scholars win Goldwater and Astronaut scholarships, and a prestigious fellowship<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two students and one alumnus win Goldwater and Astronaut scholarships, and a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute fellowship\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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