Spychalski recognized by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program

Griffin Spychalski, a junior honors student in the Department of Biomedical Eingineering, has been recognized by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program.  The Goldwater is the most prestigious national award for undergraduate researchers in science, math and engineering. The scholarship was established by Congress in 1986 to honor the work of Senator Barry Goldwater, who served as a longtime military officer and on the armed forces, intelligence, Indian affairs, commerce, science and transportation committees in Congress. Goldwater Scholars receive an award to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500.

 Spychalski is one of four Ohio State Honors students recognized for this prestigious award and one of 240 students from around the country to earn a Goldwater Scholarship for the 2017-18 academic year.  He is also the first student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering to become a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship. Since the award's inception in 1986, Ohio State has produced 55 Goldwater Scholars; forty-six of the university's last forty-eight nominees have been recognized as a scholar or honorable mention.

Griffin conducts microfluidics research with Dr. Jonathan Song (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering). Their current work studies the effect of fluid forces on angiogenesis, the sprouting of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones. His work was presented last fall at the annual meeting for the Biomedical Engineering Society. An Eminence Fellow, Griffin is the recipient of a 2016 American Heart Association Summer Research Fellowship, Undergraduate Research Office Summer Fellowship, and the Engineering Dean’s Scholarship. He is also an officer in Tau Beta Pi, volunteers at the James Comprehensive Cancer Center, and co-founded PassGo, a service organization connecting local underemployed populations with meaningful employment. Griffin plans to pursue an MD/PhD in biomedical engineering and pursue a career developing microscale engineering technology to advance current methods of cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and multi-target therapy selection.

The scholarship was established by Congress in 1986 to honor the work of Senator Barry Goldwater, who served as a longtime military officer and on the armed forces, intelligence, Indian affairs, commerce, science and transportation committees in Congress.

Congratulations Griffin!

Click here to learn about the Goldwater Scholarship.