MCB junior Nhan Huynh has earned an honorable mention in the national Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program.

Huynh, of Palatine, Illinois, is majoring in molecular and cellular biology with a minor in electrical and computer engineering. He plans to combine these disciplinary approaches to bridge humans and machines by engineering devices that integrate with properties of the nervous system, which would be particularly useful in developing neuroprostheses for amputees.

For the past two years, Huynh has served as a research assistant to professor Timothy Bretl working on brain-computer interfaces and signal processing. He also has spent the last year working with Illinois physiology professor Daniel Llano studying how complex sounds are processed by the auditory system. After graduating from Illinois, Huynh plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in neuroscience to further his research goals of developing neural devices that seamlessly integrate with the brain.

“I am honored to have been nominated by the university for this prestigious award,” said Huynh. “It was a valuable experience working with the Top Scholars office on campus to write and revise my application. In the end, I was glad to hear that I received an Honorable Mention designation for my work and I am excited to continue doing the research that earned me this recognition.”

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Barry M. Goldwater, who served 30 years in the U.S. Senate. The program provides a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians and engineers by awarding scholarships to sophomores and juniors from the United States who intend to pursue doctorates in these fields.

The 260 Goldwater Scholars for 2015-16 were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,206 mathematics, science and engineering students nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields. The one- and two-year scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.