So bountiful was this year’s group of Trinity students interested in the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship that Hyunsu “Philip” Cho and Lisa Yamada, both members of the Class of 2015, had to compete against their fellow students for the right to apply. That’s because each four-year higher education institution is allowed only four applicants.
Cho and Yamada emerged from Trinity’s internal competition, winning the right to compete against the best and the brightest students from across the country.
Both went on to win scholarships that will help cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board during their senior year. Cho, of Seattle, Washington, is a computer science and math major, and Yamada, of Bergenfield, New Jersey, is majoring in engineering and math with a minor in music.
Cho, Trinity’s current Mathematics Scholar, is doing research with Peter Yoon, associate professor of computer science, and Yamada, a Josh P. Kupferberg Scholar, has worked closely with Emilie Dressaire, assistant professor of engineering. Both students said they were drawn to Trinity in large part because it’s a leading liberal arts college with strong math and science programs.
Among other activities, Yamada has been involved with Trinity’s robotics team and spent the spring semester of her junior year at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, where she studied engineering.
“Lisa Yamada is an incredibly accomplished young engineer. In a two-summer [program] at the University of California at Los Angeles, in collaboration with her professor here at Trinity, Lisa made important discoveries in mushroom spore release,” Science Center Director Alison Draper wrote in her letter of recommendation.
Of Cho, who was a Goldwater Honorable Mention in 2013, Draper wrote, he “is the rare student who is intellectually curious and hardworking and raises the level of every class and activity in which he participates. He is captivated by his own research and excited about the next steps in each project.”