In a first for Clemson University, five students were selected this year for the prestigious 2024 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes students who show exceptional promise of advancing research in mathematics, natural sciences and engineering.
Biochemistry majors Caroline Argenti and Adam Gatch; physics major Maggie Marte; mathematical sciences major Cody Waters and bioengineering major Audrey Wessinger were among 438 scholars selected nationwide.
Audrey Wessinger, a bioengineering junior and Honors student from Mount Pleasant, is working towards a career in genetic engineering research, with a focus on contributing to transformative advancements in antibiotics or cancer therapies. She is one of only 56 Goldwater recipients majoring in engineering.
Wessinger started her research in high school, contributing to five different projects with four faculty bioengineering faculty members: Angela Alexander-Bryant, Jeremy Gilbert, Jeremy Mercuri and Jiro Nagatomi. Her work has already been shared in four co-authored publications, including two papers where she was listed as the second author. She has also been part of five research presentations, including two at international meetings.
She also has a strong focus on service. Wessinger is a member of the Bioengineering Student Advisory Board and the University’s Student Funding Board while also being part of the marching band and working as an academic tutor and as a DJ on WSBF FM (Clemson’s student radio).
In the future, Wessinger plans to earn a Ph.D. in bioengineering and pursue a research career focused on drug delivery and genetic engineering.
