Gatton Academy Student From Chalybeate Named Emperor Science Award Winner

via WKU News
A Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky student from Chalybeate has been named a winner of the inaugural Emperor Science Award, according to a report published by WKU News.

Mackenzie Daniels, a high school junior and Gatton Academy Student award winner from ECHS. (WKU News)

Makenzie Daniels, who from ECHS and resides in Chalybeate, is a first-year student at The Gatton Academy, and will work alongside cancer scientists on a rewarding, multi-week cancer research project. Additionally, Daniels will receive a Google Chrome Notebook to enhance their studies, a $1,500 stipend for their expenses, and the opportunity to continue the mentoring program throughout high school.

Stand Up To Cancer and PBS Learning Media received around 1,200 applications from 10thand 11th grade students throughout the U.S. interested in pursuing a career in science research. In total, 100 students from 40 states have been named this year’s winners. The Gatton Academy students are Kentucky’s only award winners.

Daniels will be working with Dr. Shannon L. Puhalla, Director, Breast Cancer Clinical Research Program and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine.  Dr. Puhalla is a medical oncologist and hematologist who specializes in breast oncology, Phase I clinical trials, and novel therapeutics in breast cancer.

Daniels will be paired with Dr. Puhalla for an 8-to-12-week research experience that will commence during 2016.

Daniels is a student researcher in the WKU Department of Biology’s Genome Discovery and Exploration Program, a yearlong research cohort led by Dr. Rodney King and Dr. Claire Rinehart. The WKU Genome Discovery and Exploration Program is part of the National Genomics Research initiative sponsored by the Science Education Alliance at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The report also said that Daniels has just returned from a Winter Term study abroad to Italy. She plans to study abroad in England later this summer.

According to WKU News, the Emperor Science Award program is an initiative designed to encourage high school students to explore careers in science, specifically cancer research and care, through a mentoring opportunity. The program is made possible by founding donors Genetech, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Novartis and through partners Stand Up to Cancer and PBS Learning Media.

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