Trinity College students Skye Embray ’23 and Nicole Massa ’23 have been selected to receive Barry Goldwater Scholarships from a pool of more than 5,000 applicants from across the country. The scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards for students interested in pursuing careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.
Embray, from Los Angeles, is double majoring in environmental science and public policy and law. After first becoming interested in environmental science thanks to a middle school ecology class, she developed a passion for understanding the environment and ways to protect its resources and the life within it. Embray has worked extensively with Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Biology Amber L. Pitt, her major adviser and research adviser. Her current research focuses on understanding the spatial distribution of mercury accumulation in the floating vegetation of a pond in West Hartford’s Beachland Park.
She said she chose to attend Trinity because the city of Hartford was the culturally diverse environment she was looking for. “I also was excited about the presence of a strong Environmental Science Program with opportunities for research and the multitude of student-run social organizations that would allow me to find a community on campus,” she said. At Trinity, Embray is an RA, co-president of the Trinity College Black Women’s Organization (TCBWO), and co-captain of the Trinity Cheerleading Team.
Embray aspires to combine the science of aquatic ecology with policy development to address damages to natural water resources through pollution and chemical contamination. “In the long term, I plan to obtain a Ph.D. in aquatic ecology with an emphasis on sustainability and resource management,” she said.
Massa, a neuroscience and psychology double major from Natick, Massachusetts, said her passion for the sciences was cultivated in part by her parents taking her to Boston’s Museum of Science as a child. She added, “My interest in neuroscience and psychology specifically stems from an independent research project I did for my 11th-grade biology class exploring the neural abnormalities in obsessive-compulsive disorder. In the future, I hope to continue exploring similar neural abnormalities.”
She initially was drawn to Trinity for its broad academic offerings. “This has given me the opportunity to pursue both my sciences courses, such as neuroscience, chemistry, and biology, as well as courses in other areas, such as music and religious studies,” Massa said. She has been a musical director of the Trinity Pipes a cappella group, a community bonding coordinator of the Fred Pfeil Community Project (The Fred), and a tutor at ESF Dream Camp.
Massa has been mentored at Trinity by Alison Draper, director of Trinity’s Center for Interdisciplinary Science; Associate Professor of Psychology Michael A. Grubb; and Associate Professor of Psychology Elizabeth D. Casserly. Following her time at Trinity, Massa plans to pursue a Ph.D. and work as a neuropsychologist, researching the neural abnormalities underlying psychiatric disorders.