Allison is a Biology major from Dallas, Texas. She is fascinated in how science is able to find solutions to macroscopic problems when looking at the microscopic scale. Allison is active on campus, being a member of both the Biology Honors Program and the University Honors Program. 

As a Beckman Scholar, Allison joined the laboratory of Dr. Bruce Riley, a Professor in the Department of Biology, looking into the regeneration of hair cells and neurons of the zebrafish inner ear by testing functions of Fgf genes during development. Ultimately, Allison strives to better understand important pathways and proteins involved in molecular biology.

Mikayla Barry always knew she wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, but the undergraduate biomedical engineering major had no idea she would be helping develop a potentially life-saving technology so soon after embarking upon her academic career at Texas A&M University.

As a Beckman Scholar, Mikayla joined a research team led by Professor Melissa Grunlan, an authority on biomaterials and regenerative therapies from the university’s Department of Biomedical Engineering developing a coating for medical devices that prevents clotting as well as infection. Her research excellence earned her numerous national fellowships, authorship on several publications, and acceptance into the top materials graduate programs in the country.

Connor Bowerman ‘24 is a Physics major from Austin, Texas. Bowerman is the first Physics major chosen for the TAMU Beckman Scholars Program. He began his research experience as a research assistant studying the detection of COVID-19 using fluorescent nanoparticles as well as worked with enhancing the sensitivity of lateral flow assay with application to COVID-19.

As a Beckman Scholar, Connor joined the lab of Dr. Alexey Akimov to study light and its interaction with matter. Connor enjoys the rigid definitions of physics and is interested in exploring basic physics research in areas such as particle physics, nuclear energy and semiconductors. When not focused on physics, Bowerman also enjoys discussing philosophy. Describing himself as “strategic” and “ inquisitive”, his career goal is “to maximize the amount of good I do while minimizing the amount of bad I do”.

Emily is a Microbiology majoring in genetics from Brownwood, Texas. She is an aspiring pediatric oncologist and cancer researcher. Emily has previous experience volunteering and shadowing at her local hospital and various health clinics in her hometown. On-campus Emily is involved in several organizations, including HOSA, W.H.O.O.P., and Lambda Sigma. Sheis a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholar as well as a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Finalist. 

As a Beckman Scholar, Emily joined the laboratory of Dr. Deborah Bell-Pedersen, a Professor in the Department of Biology, to understand the mechanisms of the Circadian Clock. Emily hopes to find a connection between protein synthesis and cellular processes.

Currently: University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School.

As a Beckman Scholar, Ashley joined Dr. Ry Young’s lab to begin her work discovering the mechanism by which a specific bacteriophage, or virus that infects bacteria, destroys the outer membrane of its host cell. Ashley was excited to have the opportunity to work outside of her department and to gain interdisciplinary knowledge. Overall, in her research career, she would like to work toward the accomplishment of one of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges: Engineering Better Medicine. Specifically, Ashley hopes to help create new and better antibiotics in order to combat the growing problem of multidrug resistant bacteria.

During her time at A&M, Ashley joined the Biomedical Engineering Society and Discover, Explore, and Enjoy Physics and Engineering (DEEP), as well as John 15 and Transformers Bible Study. She was a Women in Engineering Ambassador and a member of both the Engineering Honors and University Honors programs. Ashley was also selected as a University Scholar. Ashley is from Kingwood, Texas.

Samuel Idah-oze ‘25 is a general engineering major who intends a major in biomedical engineering. He is pursuing a Biomedical Research Certificate and is a LAUNCH Century Scholar and TAMU Posse Scholar. As a Beckman Scholar, Samuel will be working with Dr. Gerard Coté in the department of biomedical engineering. Dr. Coté focuses on the development of point-of-care biomedical devices, nanoparticle based biomedical sensors, and diagnostic systems. Samuel and Dr. Coté are working on defining a specific research topic for Samuel’s Beckman Scholars project. Samuel notes that he looks forward to learning more from this experience and hopes that the Beckman Scholars program will help him gain experience in research so he can later lead his own research projects in biomedical engineering. Although this is Samuel’s first research experience, he says “I have started dreaming bigger [and] undergraduate research is giving me the tools needed for me to better the world. I have a long way to go, but I’m confident in what I can eventually do.” When he graduates, Samuel intends to go directly into the biomedical engineering industry to gain experience in his field.

Currently: University of Texas, SouthWestern Medical School, MD/PhD program. Research with Dr. Jennifer Kohler, 2019--present. The influence of inflammation on glycosylation of intestinal epithelial cells.

Gabrielle spent her first year in Aggieland as a member of the University Honors program and the Honors Housing Community. Her interest in research led her to join the DeBakey Undergraduate Research Program as a first semester freshman, working with a team that models the flow of fluid through the kidneys. 

Gabby received an early start on leadership development in the MSC Champe-Fitzhugh International Honors Leadership Seminar the summer before matriculating at TAMU and continued her development as a member of the MSC Freshmen Leadership Organization “Freshmen in Service and Hosting” or FISH. She has a long history of community service.

Gabby became a Beckman Scholar in the laboratory of Dr. Dorothy Shippen studying plant telomeres, the specific structures at the ends of chromosomes that keep them from unraveling. Telomeres have been implicated in aging and cancer as well as in diseases linked to chromosome instability, making telomere studies an excellent match for her interests.

Brandon is a sophomore biomedical engineering student from Spring, Texas. Brandon has previous research experience, having completed a bio printing design project where he improved the biological printing capabilities of 3D printers by optimizing a method to isolate biological extracellular matrices. Brandon has also competed in the Aggie Challenge and Aggi-E Invent Challenge, winning with his projects on optimized patient flows and bio printing.

As a Beckman Scholar, Brandon joined the laboratory of Dr. Sarah Bondos in the Department of Molecular Medicine using materials science to address neurological disease.

Currently: PhD in Microbiology at University of Wisconsin-Madison in process.

Cody, a biochemistry and genetics double major from Red Oak, Texas, is particularly intrigued by the combination of science and technology in healthcare, hoping to apply microscopic phenomena in a manner that is beneficial. 

As a Beckman Scholar Cody joined the laboratory of Dr. Ry Young researching the mechanisms of bacteriophage lysis. Cody's work focused on how a new class of potential antimicrobial peptides derived from bacteriophage destroys bacterial cells. “I enjoy that medicine is not a stagnating field: Professionals must be adaptive and stay current with advances. I wouldn’t like to do the same exact thing every single day! Therefore, my dreams align quite well with my personality traits,” says Cody.

Cody also joined a Global and Local Health committee, which educates and brings awareness to health issues from a political standpoint. His long term goal is to earn a PhD and enter academic medicine as a medical geneticist researching the genetic aspects of disease.

Currently:  Controls Engineer for Bray International.

As a freshman, Luke joined the lab of Dr. Melissa Grunlan to develop an implantable glucose biosensor. During his first semester at Texas A&M, Luke was an experimental researcher for the DeBakey Undergraduate Research Scholars program, studying the relationship between radiation therapy and lymphatic failure. Additionally, in the summer before his freshman year, he was contracted as a Wright Scholars Research Assistant for the Air Force Research Lab in southwestern Ohio to work with heart rate sensors.

As a Beckman Scholar Luke joined Dr. Gerard Coté’s bioinstrumentation lab, where he initiated an independent project to develop a novel biomarker platform technology that uses surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy for lung cancer diagnosis.

In addition to his research endeavors, Luke has heavily involved himself in a variety of campus activities, including serving as a Texas A&M National Scholar Ambassador, joining the Editorial Board for Explorations: the Texas A&M Undergraduate Journal, and participating  in three design competitions through Aggies Invent.

He was designated as one of 15 college students in the nation to serve on an advisory board for Pearson Higher Education, where he helped to improve modern educational technologies by focusing his passions for sociology and academic empowerment. 

Currently:  PhD program in Molecular Cell Biology at Stanford University.

Rachel, a molecular and cellular biology major from Kempner, Texas,worked with Dr. Steve Lockless researching ion channels in E.coli. Porter compares the fitness of a strain to observe differences in growth given different environmental conditions.

As a Beckman Scholar, Rachel joined the laboratory of Dr. Deb Bell-Pedersen studying whether ribosomes, the protein producers of the cell, have different compositions and activiities during the day and at night. Her long term goals include continuing on to graduate school to study biology. Rachel says that her time at Texas A&M has only confirmed her choice to pursue a path in research; “before starting, I thought I wanted to pursue a career in research, after joining the lab, I know I want to. I have enjoyed every aspect of research, from the work itself to the people I’ve met along the way.”

Rachel's excellence resulted in an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and acceptance into the top Molecular Biology graduate programs in the country.  She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia with Dr. Nina Gunde-Cimerman studying the Greenland ice sheet microbiome. After returning from Slovenia she started her graduate work at Stanford.

Ryan is a biology major and neuroscience minor from Ransom Canyon, Texas. Ryan has previous medical experience working as an intern at the Trustpoint Rehabilitation Clinic in his hometown. He is active on campus in the American Medical Student Association and the Biology honors program. In addition, Ryan is a recipient of the President’s Endowed Scholarship and a National Merit Commended Scholar.

As a Beckman Scholar, Ryan joined the laboratory of Dr. Richard Gomer in the Department of Biology where he is investigating the signals that regulate bacterial destruction after engulfment by Dictyostelium discoidium. His research creativity and independence have led to several publications and National Fellowships based on research excellence.  Ryan is currently in the process of applying to MD/PhD programs.

Travis “Horton” Richard ‘25 is a biochemistry major with a minor in economics. He is in the LAUNCH University Honors Program. As a Beckman Scholar, Horton will begin working on a research project with Dr. Vishal Gohil from the department of biochemistry, where they will use Barth syndrome models to investigate how correcting mitochondrial defects could act as a treatment for patients with Barth syndrome. Barth syndrome is a disease where people lack cardiolipin, an important component of their cells’ mitochondrial membrane. Without cardiolipin the mitochondrial membrane cannot function properly, resulting in symptoms like enlargement and weakness of the heart. Horton intends to test how a chemical component known as spermidine can destroy defective mitochondria in yeast cells. He will then ask if spermidine has the same effect on human cells to investigate if it can be used as a potential treatment for this disease. Horton is excited to start this research project where he will “perform research that has some positive impact on others.” When he graduates, Horton plans on going to graduate school to pursue a lifelong vocation of research.

Miriam ’24 is a Molecular & Cell Biology major from . Miriam is fascinated by genetic diseases and how the tools of molecular biology can be used to understand underlying disease mechanisms. She is currently investigating the role of copper and copper transport in zebrafish mitochondria can be regulated.

As a Beckman Scholar, Miriam joined the laboratory of Dr. Vishal Gohil, a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, looking into diseases of copper metabolism where she will be investigating how drugs transport copper into cells and whether they can be used to treat mitochondrial diseases of copper insufficiency. Ultimately, Miriam hopes to better understand important pathways regulating metabolism and disease.

Currently:  University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI Microbiology Doctoral Training Program 2018- present. Using CRISPRi tools to map cell envelope pathways in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Jennifer Tran ‘18 is a biochemistry and genetics double major  from Carrollton, Texas. Jennifer impressed the faculty, staff, and student reviewers and interview panel with her ability to view issues from multiple angles, her appreciation of a “eureka” moment earlier this year that changed her view of the world and her enthusiasm for problem solving. While her description of herself as “independent” and “involved” was clearly demonstrated by her many activities, the critical self-knowledge and self-deprecating humor demonstrated in her application essays made quite an impact on the application readers.

Jennifer was a University Honors freshman and member of the Biochemistry and Genetics Society. She began research her first semester at TAMU with the Aggie Research Scholars helping to build a self-regulating pressure pump and then moved to the laboratory of Dr. Vishal Gohil in the department of Biochemistry and Biophysics to study mitochondrial copper transport. Jennifer started her leadership development through the MSC Champe-Fitzhugh International Honors Leadership Seminar the summer before matriculating at TAMU and has continued as a member of the Freshman Leadership Experience Service committee. Even while in her first semester at TAMU, she continued community service she began in the Dallas area, such as her volunteer work with the Dallas Marathon.

As a Beckman Scholar, Tran joined the laboratory of Dr. Ry Young, the first Director of the Center for Phage Technology, looking for ways to identify and adapt phage particles for use as a new paradigm for antibiotic function.

Currently: California Institute of Technology Dept of Chemistry graduate program with Dr. Maxwell Robb, 2018--present. Analysis of structure-property relationships in mechanochromic polymers.

Brooke was a University Honors Program freshman and a Sophomore Advisor for the Honors Housing Community. Her application for this leadership position emphasized rational thought, role modeling, and imaginative ideas to help create a sense of community between the two freshman Honors dorms. Versaw also spent her freshman year as a member of the TAMU Honor Council, which hears issues with respect to the Aggie Honor Code, the Student Affiliate chapter of the American Chemical Society and as a National Aggie Scholar Ambassador.

Versaw got an early start in research, well before matriculating at Texas A&M in fall 2014.  She spent the summer of 2013 as a Robert A. Welch Foundation Chemistry Scholar with Dr. Junha Jeon at the University of Texas at Arlington investigating the mechanism of alkenyl silyl ether hydrolyzation. The following summer Versaw moved to Dr. Steve Lockless’ group in the Department of Biology at Texas A&M to study intracellular signaling using synthetic models of cellular membranes. Versaw’s interest in chemistry and chemical research was evident as early as high school, where she volunteered as a chemistry and physics tutor.

As a Beckman Scholar Versaw joined the laboratory of Dr. Karen Wooley on a research project using organic synthesis and polymerization strategies to build macromolecular structures that can be used to develop new materials.