Honors student, Lydia Delk, has been awarded the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship, an award for students interested in research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering.
Eligible students will be sophomores or juniors with at least a 3.0 GPA. The scholarship award covers up to $7,500 per year. The Foundation awarded 454 new scholarships nationally this year out of more than 5,000 nominees from 482 academic institutions in the United States.
Lydia is a junior majoring biological sciences, with plans to pursue a PhD in biology with an emphasis in ecology. Lydia’s research is focused on examining how the parasitic wasp M. raptor responds to a bittering agent in fly baits. She would like to continue to do research on parasite-host systems and efforts for conservation of impacted species. In addition to her research, Lydia is in the Biology Honors Society, Phi Sigma, and serves as Vice President where she oversees recruitment and organizes events. Lydia also volunteers as a content tutor in the Huskie Academic Success Center helping students with organic chemistry and introductory biology courses. Lydia also enjoys volunteering for small mammal trapping for ongoing research on prairie restoration in Illinois.
Lydia is the second Goldwater Scholar in NIU’s history, joining Honors student Hannah Havel in this elite company, who won the award last year.
Read more about Lydia and the Goldwater Scholarship here.
