IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2003

CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119

TWO DRAKE STUDENTS HONORED IN SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION

Two Drake University students have received honors in the annual Barry M. Goldwater Science Scholarship competition.

Kavitha Pundi, who recently completed her sophomore year at Drake, was awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Science Scholarship. Bob Berendt, who recently completed his junior year at Drake, received an honorable mention.

The Goldwater Scholarship is a national award established by Congress to encourage students to pursue research and advanced degrees in science. Approximately 1, 200 students from across the country are nominated for the scholarship by their colleges and universities each year; 300 students receive the award.

Pundi, a physics major from Rochester, Minn., has worked summers at the Mayo Clinic, where she has devised mathematical models of the elbow to study regular and irregular arm motions in order to help surgeons identify specific muscular problems. Pundi will continue her work when she returns to Mayo this summer. She also has participated in research in chemistry and physics at Drake. Upon graduation, Pundi plans to enter a M.D.-Ph.D. program to pursue her interests in medical research and biomedical imaging.

Berendt, a pharmaceutical science major from Burnsville, Minn., has conducted research in Drake's chemistry and pharmacy departments. His work has focused on the synthesis molecules of biological significance. This summer, he will do pharmaceutical research at the University of Kansas. Berendt plans to attend graduate school at the University of Kansas, where he will continue his studies of pharmaceutical compounds and their biological effects in the body.