National fellowship granted to promising W&J chemist Lindsay Leone ’09 joins the ranks of Google founder Sergey Brin, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and 30 Nobel Prize winners as a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF). With a history of honoring those who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers, the GRF is given annually to students across the country who plan to earn research-focused master’s and doctorate degrees in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. “There is no doubt that this is a very prestigious honor,” Steve Malinak, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the chemistry department, said. “The National Science Foundation reports on its website that the success rate is about 10 percent, so Lindsay is in a very select group.”
“Lindsay is not just a scientist. She is exactly what you would envision a liberal arts education at W&J producing.” – PATRICIA BRLETIC ’75, PH.D.
Leone, who is pursuing a doctorate in chemistry at Columbia University, will receive $30,000 in annual stipends for three years plus a $10,500 allowance for education and travel costs. This funding will allow her to take on more projects and ultimately, more risks. She also will have the opportunity to travel to conferences and other schools to share her research. A graduate of W&J’s chemistry program, Leone completed independent research under the supervision of Patricia Brletic ’75, Ph.D., professor of chemistry. “Working on my Chemistry 500 project, I learned to come up with my own research plan on a topic of interest and carry it through,” she said. “It was definitely a challenge, but in the end, I felt like I matured as a scientist.” Impressed by the wide range of skills Leone demonstrated in the lab, Brietic is confident in her former student’s ability to succeed. “Interpersonal skills are one of Lindsay’s best strengths,” Brletic said. “You can be a tremendous researcher, but if you cannot communicate, you won’t go far. Lindsay will go far.” Leone first discovered her passion for scientific research in the summer of 2007 working for the Bartl Group laboratories in Utah. She spent the following summer at Columbia completing an internship funded by the National Science Foundation. Upon graduation, she instructed a summer laboratory at W&J. “Lindsay is not just a scientist,” Brletic said. “She is exactly what you would envision a liberal arts education at W&J producing.” Today, a year into her studies at Columbia, Leone has completed her master’s in chemistry. She credits the faculty at W&J with preparing her well for a career in scientific research, adding, “The W&J chemistry department inspired me to be where I am today.” – KERRI DIGIOVANNI ’09
Lindsay Leone ’09 at work in a Columbia University laboratory where she is pursuing her doctorate in chemistry.
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