Holy Cross Junior Earns Goldwater Scholarship

WORCESTER, Mass. – Elizabeth Morse, a member of the College of the Holy Cross class of 2009, has received a Goldwater Scholarship; she is one of approximately 300 nationally to receive the award from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

Established in 1986, the scholarships are granted to students entering their junior or senior year. The one- and two-year scholarships cover a maximum of $7,500 per year, including tuition, fees, books, and room and board.

Morse, a Shelton, Conn. native, is a biology major with a biochemistry concentration and is enrolled in the College’s Honors Program. An active member of the Holy Cross community, she is the program director of the Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD) English as a Second Language tutoring program, co-chair of the Science Ambassadors, a student leader in the Hour of Power Interdenominational Prayer Group and is a flautist in the Contemporary Music Ensemble. During spring break she took part in one of Holy Cross’ Immersion Programs in Lafayette, La., where she helped with relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina and Rita.

Recently, she was accepted into Alpha Sigma Nu, which honors exceptional students of Jesuit institutions who distinguish themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service. In May, she will be inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and the most prestigious national academic honor society in America. Next year she will be the co-chair of the Biology Student Advisory Committee.

“I have been immensely impressed with Beth as a student, a researcher and as a teaching assistant last summer for a science workshop I ran for Worcester Public School teachers,” says Robert Bellin, associate professor of biology and Morse’s research mentor. “She has the combination of intellect, self-motivation and an optimistic personality that makes her a top undergraduate science student now, and I believe will carry her far in science in the future.”

Morse plans on taking advantage of the research opportunities provided at Holy Cross and in the Worcester area.  This summer she will be conducting research regarding RNA interference in the lab of Craig Mello, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. Morse hopes to attend graduate school to pursue a degree in biochemistry.

The Goldwater Foundation, a federally endowed agency honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater, was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. Awards are made on the basis of merit.