Saint Michael's student, Katherine Schutt of Groveton, N.H., named a 2013 Goldwater Scholar

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Saint Michel's student Katherine Schutt of Groverton, named a 2013 Goldwater Scholar

COLCHESTER, VT (04/04/2013)(readMedia)-- Katherine Schutt, a Saint Michael's College junior majoring in chemistry, minoring in math and biology, has been named a 2013 Goldwater Scholar.

The Goldwater Scholarship, honoring Senator Barry Goldwater, is designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. It is regarded as the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields. There were 271 Goldwater Scholars recognized nationally for 2013; each will receive a $7,500 scholarship to cover the costs of tuition, fees, books, and room and board.

Ms Schutt is the daughter of Brian and Kelly Schutt of Groveton, N.H. She graduated from Groveton High School before coming to Saint Michael's.

"Katie is a real superstar and is very deserving of this recognition," said Dr. Shane Lamos, Saint Michael's Associate Professor of Chemistry. "This is very exciting for Saint Michael's because most of the Goldwater recipients come from large universities; I think this recognition is a strong reflection of the support that Saint Michael's has made towards the sciences," he added.

"Katie is the first Goldwater Scholar to be named at Saint Michael's-and we are very pleased with her accomplishment."

Chemistry in understanding disease pathways

Ms. Schutt said, "Saint Michael's College has given me many opportunities to do research and to develop a vision of how chemistry can provide tools for understanding complex disease pathways. Being recognized as a 2013 Goldwater Scholar, as well as the research skills I have developed at Saint Michael's, should be excellent preparation for graduate school and a career in chemistry."

Ms. Schutt was designated a scholar based on her academic achievement and the strength of her research proposal, "Using chemical syntheses to understand and outline complex disease pathways." She has extensive experience in chemical research having spent a summer as a Gianni Research Fellow in the lab of Professor Lamos working on a project titled, "Proteomic hydrophobicity tag for enhanced electrospray mass spectrometry."

Ms. Schutt also co-authored a 2012 Bioanalysis article with Professor Lamos on "Relative quantification of biomarkers using mixed-isotope labeling coupled with MS."

In addition to this Goldwater Scholar recognition, Katherine Schutt has received a number of other awards including induction into Phi Beta Kappa 2013, the CRC Press Chemistry Award 2011, Saint Michael's Dean's List inclusion every semester of her college career, Saint Michael's College Book Award, Max York Educational Foundation Valedictorian Award 2010, National Honor Society Scholarship, Groveton High School 2010 Valedictorian.

At Saint Michael's College www.smcvt.edu  students are challenged to do their best, find their niche, take on opportunities to grow, and immerse themselves in academic pursuits. Intellectual rigor, compassion, teamwork, caring-these characterize a Saint Michael's experience. A residential Catholic college, Saint Michael's is steeped in the social justice spirit of its founding priests, the Edmundites. Saint Michael's is located three miles from Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top 10 college towns. Headed by President John J. Neuhauser, the college has 1,900 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students. Identified by the Princeton Review, 2013 as one of the nation's Best 377 Colleges, and included in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013, Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Goldwater, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other grants. The college is one of the nation's top-100, Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2013 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

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