Two Northwestern students will study at the University of Cambridge next October as Churchill Scholars.
Weinberg senior Dennis Hu and McCormick senior Samantha Dale Strasser are the recipients of the prestigious scholarship, a science studies award given to 14 college students from 103 universities and colleges in the U.S. to study at Cambridge. Universities can nominate only two students to apply for the scholarship, and both Hu and Strasser were chosen.
“This speaks to how special Northwestern is,” Hu said. “It’s a great thing for NU.”
Hu and Strasser began the nominee application process last spring. In November, the Office of Fellowships informed the two they would be NU’s nominees. Their applications consisted of long essays, short essays and personal statements, letters of recommendation and a proposal of what they hope to study at Cambridge.
Hu, a chemistry major, will be pursuing a master’s in chemistry at Cambridge.
As a researcher with chemistry Prof. Regan Thomson since his freshman year, Hu was the first to synthesize streptorubin, a natural product that can reverse resistance to drugs in cancer cells. His findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society in 2010. He is one of the few undergraduates to be published in the prestigious journal. While other NU students complete their organic chemistry requirements during their sophomore years, Hu completed his before he even came to NU, Thomson said.
Thomson said Hu is an exceptional student and he will be sad to see him leave the lab.
“His willingness to embrace working in the lab is what really sets him apart,” he said. “Unfortunately for me, I’m going to expect every undergraduate in my lab to be like Dennis. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Hu said he plans to return to the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry after his time overseas.
Working with Thomson has been the leading factor in his success, he said.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have met someone who’s been so supportive and so willing to allow undergraduates to take on meaningful research projects,” Hu said of Thomson. “He’s the person most responsible for the opportunities that I’ve had.”
Strasser, like Hu, has done cancer-related research. With the help of biomedical engineering Prof. Vadim Backman, Strasser has researched the measure of nanostructures within cells since her freshman year. These studies could help with measuring disease progression and cancer diagnosis in the future, she said.
Strasser will pursue a master’s degree in physics at Cambridge. She will be working with organic solar cells, primarily to maximize their efficiency. She said she hopes her work will have a direct impact in the fields of health care or energy.
Weinberg senior Renee Qian said Strasser has always been “just good at everything.”
“She’s very comfortable with herself. She knows what she wants and how to get there,” Qian said. “She’s just very dedicated.”
Strasser, a double major in biomedical engineering and applied mathematics, said she was speechless about her selection as a Churchill Scholar.
“I’m having trouble putting words to it,” she said. “It’s excitement but almost beyond that. It’s a very good way to start off the new year.”
Strasser said she plans to return to the states to pursue her Ph.D. in electrical engineering.
Hu and Strasser will spend a full school year in the U.K.
