Clara DiVincenzo ’26, on left, and Lydia Owens ’27
Clara DiVincenzo ’26 and Lydia Owens ’27 have been named recipients of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the preeminent undergraduate award in the United States for students pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.
Clara, a junior studying biology and statistics and analytics with a minor in marine sciences, conducts research in the Castillo Lab at UNC–Chapel Hill on the molecular mechanisms of coral-algal symbioses. A NOAA Hollings Scholar and Buckley Public Service Scholar, Clara has also completed fieldwork in Australia and aspires to a career in marine biology research and academia.
Lydia, a sophomore majoring in biostatistics and mathematics, is passionate about using data-driven solutions to advance health equity. Her research spans infectious disease modeling, digital health, and carceral health justice.
Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship is “a reflection of the extremely supportive community” she’s experienced at Carolina, Lydia said.
“This scholarship empowers me to continue pursuing research without financial burden, as well as to engage with other talented young researchers, give back through mentorship initiatives, and broaden my research network for future collaborations and opportunities,” the scholar said.
As a student researcher at the Duke Bellwether Collaborative for Health Justice, Lydia has built agent-based models to forecast COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons and applied machine learning techniques to understand HIV prevention knowledge gaps in justice-involved populations. Her work seeks to leverage statistical and computational methodologies to drive socially conscious change in public health.
Nationwide, around 400 students intending to pursue research careers in STEM receive the Goldwater Scholarship each year.
