Two U of M Students Receive Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship
For release: April 1, 2003
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey

Two University of Memphis students have been named recipients of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Lynn Harrell Jr., a sophomore geology major, and Michael P. Lazarowicz, a junior biology major, are among the 300 scholars chosen this year from more than 1,000 who applied nationally.

Harrell, who hopes to become a vertebrate paleontologist, does volunteer work in the vertebrate paleontology collections at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum. "He has taken the initiative in meeting professionals in paleontology, conducting fieldwork, and volunteering to identify vertebrates in our collections," said Ronald C. Brister, the museum's collections manager.

Harrell found the first recorded pterosaur fossil from Tennessee and donated it to the museum. He is the author of an article on Mesozoic vertebrates that was presented at the recent meeting of the Geological Society of America.

Harrell's professors are impressed with his diligence, ability, and attention to detail. "More than once, he has suggested additional field trip stops based on his own familiarity with the regional geology, and these stops have been some of the most interesting of the trips, due to Lynn's commentary and keen eye for field examples of geologic phenomena," said Dr. Randy Cox, assistant professor of earth sciences. "Amazingly, he discovered a complete mosasaur skeleton in a highway roadcut in Mississippi, obtained permission to excavate it, sold it to the University of Kansas, and used the money to pay for his tuition here."

Lazarowicz maintains a perfect 4.0 grade point average while taking upper division courses in genetics, organic chemistry, and cell biology. His primary research area is limnology, which has allowed him to pursue his interests in both chemistry and biology. Lazarowicz has been studying patterns of specific conductance of water in small lakes relative to lake depth and sediment type. The study has real-world implications in that conductance influences ionic metal concentrations in water and therefore affects water quality.

"He not only grasps academic concepts well, he is gifted in his ability to express these concepts to others," said Dr. Jack Grubaugh, associate professor of biology. "He is one of the finest students ever to major in biology at The University of Memphis."

In recognition of these skills, Lazarowicz was awarded an Undergraduate Teaching Scholarship, which provides teaching experience and a stipend to outstanding undergraduates. He is an Educational Support tutor in math, chemistry and biology and a supplemental instruction leader for a freshman chemistry course.

The federal scholarship, named in honor of the late U.S. Sen. Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona, seeks to provide a "continual source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians and engineers by awarding the scholarship to students to pursue careers in these fields," according to the scholarship's Web site. 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.

For more information, call Dr. Melinda Jones, director of the University Honors Program, at 678-2690.

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