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Winning Scholarship Essays

Would you ever guess that feeding dog food to your family as a kid might help you earn a scholarship? That's exactly what happened to Lauren Croda, one of the recipients of a 2009 Bio-Rad scholarship! Applicants for the 2009 Bio-Rad Scholarship Program were asked to answer one of the two following questions:

  1. What can be done to encourage interest and participation in science?
  2. How can science be used to improve our world today?

Below, you can read a little about each of the three winning students, as well as view a pdf of each of their winning essays.

Photo of scholarship winner Lauren Croda

Lauren Croda

Lauren Croda will soon graduate from De Anza High School in El Sobrante, California and will focus on studying pediatrics in college. Lauren's science passion began at a very early age, when she would often perform her own "experiments" on her family members, like having them taste-test different animal food! She recounts cool science class demonstrations, like "...completing a circuit using wires attached to a student's capped front teeth" and sees immense value in hands-on projects, writing "Hands-on learning experiences are vital to gaining interest in science, showing students that what they learn on paper operates not only in books, but in everyday life." Check out Lauren's complete essay to read more about from where she got her inspiration and why she thinks it's so important to continue inspiring students.

Sanjit Rai

Also a past recipient of two Science Buddies awards, Sanjit Rai will study biomedical engineering at UC Davis upon graduating from John Swett High School in Rodeo, California. Her essay focuses on the importance of applying science to protect our planet from growing environmental impacts. Sanjit stresses the importance of applying scientific principles to help advance our world and to care for our planet: "Alternative energy resources are our future...Science is intertwined with so many subjects that it is something that everyone needs to be educated in; it exists in everything." Read Sanjit's full essay to learn more about her ideas.

Photo of scholarship winner Kiana Ward

Kiana Ward

Kiana Ward is currently a senior at El Cerrito High School in El Cerrito, California. She plans to attend Brown University, where she will study international relations and the sciences, as she aspires to obtain a career in the International Agency for Atomic Energy. Kiana emphasizes the importance of teaching young children how fascinating and fun science is. To stress that entertainment and science can mix, she states, "...kids are interested in superheroes and movie stars. Big Science (BS) needs big stars and a science superhero who uses his huge brain to outwit the villains." View Kiana's complete essay to read more of her ideas and who she thinks should be getting more superstar attention.


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