Two Holy Cross Students Receive Science Scholarships

WORCESTER, Mass. – Kathryn Kennedy and Peter Renehan, both members of the College of the Holy Cross class of 2012, have been awarded Beckman Scholarships. The grant, which aims to significantly advance the education, research training and personal development of students studying chemistry, biochemistry, and the biological and medical sciences, was awarded to the College last year by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. It will provide four scholarships between 2009-2012. Holy Cross was one of nine institutions selected for the grant.

Established in 1997, each Beckman Scholarship is for $19,300 and is divided accordingly: $6,000 summer research stipend for each of two summers, $4,000 academic year research scholarship, $850 per summer for travel and supply funds, $1,600 for academic year travel and supply funds.

A chemistry major in the PreMed Program, Kennedy will be working with Richard Herrick, professor of chemistry. “My research involves the interactions of organometallic reagents and proteins that could eventually be used to diagnose or treat certain types of cancer,” she explains.

“This summer, I will be going to the University of Akron, where I will be trained in the process of growing protein crystals and determining the crystal structures of other compounds created in Professor Herrick's lab,” explains Kennedy.

She also plans to use some of her travel funds to attend a chemistry conference in California in the fall.

On campus, she is a Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) tutor; she sits in on introductory chemistry classes, and runs problem-based sessions twice a week to give students extra practice and the opportunity to ask questions.

She is also a campus tour guide, a Noyce tutor for the Bancroft School, and a Dana Scholar.

After graduation, she plans to further her education.  “I am very interested in the development of new medications and medical techniques.”

Renehan, a chemistry major with an environmental studies concentration in the Premed Program, will work with Josh Farrell, associate professor of chemistry.

Renehan will be studying compounds in the environment to find a better way to dispose of nuclear waste and aromatic pollutants.

He plans to use some of his travel budget to attend a conference in California.

He is an executive board member of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), where he is a junior representative, and co-founder of Holy Cross EMS, a student-run EMT program, which is set to launch in the fall. He is also a PAL tutor in chemistry, a member of the Hanify-Howland Lecture Committee, a Dana Scholar, and an EMT at Naugatuck Ambulance in Naugatuck, Conn.

Upon graduation he plans to do full-time research and further his education.

Related Information

* Beckman Science Research Scholarship * The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation