UVA Student Honored by Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
The University of Virginia (UVA) recently celebrated the addition of rising fourth-year student Micaiah Lee to the prestigious Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. This distinction provides scholars with up to $15,000 in tuition support, along with unique mentorship and networking opportunities with astronauts and industry leaders.
Established in 1984 by six Mercury 7 astronauts, the foundation aims to support the top STEM scholars across the United States. At UVA, the Office of Citizen Scholar Development facilitates the nomination process for third-year students. Andrus G. Ashoo, who directs this office, expressed admiration for Lee, stating, “He embodies our core virtues of honesty, humility, curiosity and courage in his life and research. Micaiah’s positive disposition and joy are infectious even amid rejection from other opportunities.”
Lee, who is pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering, has focused his research on cancer treatments. Reflecting on his journey, Lee shared, “When I was 6, I decided that I wanted to be a bioengineer or go into genomics.” This passion was further fueled during high school when he was invited by graduate students to participate in a project on brain cancer invasion.
Lee’s personal connection to cancer began early with the loss of his grandmother to the disease. “Throughout my childhood, my family prayed together every night and found ourselves constantly praying for friends and coworkers battling cancer,” he recounted. This experience shaped his resolve to contribute to cancer research.
Currently, Lee conducts research under the guidance of assistant professor Natasha Sheybani at UVA’s Focused Ultrasound Immuno-Oncology Center. His work includes investigating how focused ultrasound can aid in drug delivery to the brain and enhance cancer treatments, particularly immunotherapy.
This summer, Lee will expand his research horizons as an Amgen Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. Under the mentorship of assistant professor Derfogail Delcassian, he will delve into research on T cells, vital components of the immune system in fighting diseases like cancer.
In addition to his summer at Berkeley, Lee will travel to Houston in August to attend the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation’s Innovators Symposium and Gala. He joins 78 other scholars recognized for their exceptional achievements this year.
Lee highlighted the benefits of his new title, stating, “The financial resources and especially the networking opportunities which come with being an Astronaut Scholar are going to be a tremendous asset over the academic year and beyond as I apply to doctoral programs in bio/biomedical engineering.”
Read More Here
Comments are closed.