When Doug Estry, associate dean for Academic Student Affairs in the College of Natural Science saw Bhooma Aravamuthan explain how DNA worked to a nonscience major, he said he knew the biochemistry and physiology senior was knowledgeable about science.
Estry's views are shared by the committee that awards the Marshall Scholarship, which has given Aravamuthan one of the scholarships for 2005.
"I was really excited when I heard," Aravamuthan said. "At the highest levels, it's all about luck."
Aravamuthan is one of about 40 students from around the country to win the award out of about 1,000 applicants. The scholarship gives the winners the chance to study at a university in the United Kingdom for up to three years.
Ron Fisher, director of the Honors College, said Aravamuthan is the 10th Marshall Scholar from MSU and the third in two years.
"It's an incredible recognition of the caliber of our students," Fisher said.
Aravamuthan, who will earn both bachelor's degrees in three years, said she wants to study neuroscience while at the University of Oxford, pursuing her master's degree. She also wants to get her doctorate at a later time.
She said she is grateful she is getting the chance to go to England to study.
"I'm really excited because I've never been to England and I won't really know anybody there other than Marshall and Rhodes scholars," Aravamuthan said.
She said she first got interested in neuroscience while doing research in a hospital. She said she saw a clinical trial for a man with Parkinson's disease and decided Parkinson's was something she wanted to study.
"I still remember that experience so clearly, the man had bad tremors before the procedure and he cleared up so well," Aravamuthan said. "I saw what treating Parkinson's disease could do for a person."
Besides her work in science, Aravamuthan is also a member of the Asian Pacific American Student Organization and ASMSU's Student Assembly. She also is a member of the Honors College and is part of a science theater that puts on demonstrations for underprivileged elementary schools.
Estry said Aravamuthan's work outside MSU combined with her research made her a candidate for the scholarship.
"Bhooma is extremely articulate and is a very knowledgeable scientist," Estry said.
Fisher said Aravamuthan was worthy of the scholarship because she's earning two degrees in such a short period of time and has research experience with faculty and has had research papers published.
"She is incredibly strong in science and exceptionally well prepared to begin graduate study," Fisher said.
The process to become a Marshall scholar is multitiered. Students first are nominated from MSU, then the finalists are reviewed by regional centers. Finalists are interviewed and then chosen for the scholarship.
