By Emily Innes
April 16, 2024
Washington and Lee University junior Demetri Patrinos has been awarded a highly competitive Goldwater Scholarship to support a research career in science, mathematics and engineering. At W&L, Patrinos is a biochemistry major with a data science minor. Patrinos is a native of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Bethel Park High School.
The Goldwater Scholarship is one of the oldest and most prestigious science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) scholarships in the country and aims to support undergraduate sophomores and juniors who show promise of becoming research leaders in their respective fields and intend to pursue a doctorate degree. Universities can only submit four nominees’ applications, and each selected scholar is awarded $7,500 to support undergraduate research in their junior or senior year. A record three W&L students were selected for Goldwater Scholarships this spring.
Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship is a significant milestone in Patrinos’s journey to pursue a doctorate and career in the biomedical sciences. Having been involved in research since his first year at W&L, he is grateful for the opportunity to further develop his research and access a valuable network of other future researchers and experts in the field.
“I feel incredibly honored to be recognized in such a profound way,” Patrinos said. “Winning the Goldwater Scholarship represents a major show of confidence in my potential to succeed as a researcher, and is an affirmation that the path I’ve chosen to pursue is the one for me.”
At W&L, Patrinos is a teaching assistant for organic chemistry, served as the web chair for Mock Convention 2024 and is a member of the Ski Club. His most impactful experience at W&L was the opportunity to write a book chapter on regeneration under the guidance of Fiona Watson, associate professor of biology. This experience was particularly formative because he was learning not only about a new field but also how to write for a publication, and he views it as an important step in developing his skills as a researcher.
Gregg Whitworth, associate professor of biology, has worked with Patrinos in his research lab for the past two years and views Patrinos as a “truly exceptional student…and one of the most promising young scientists I have mentored over the last decade.” Patrinos has worked on both computational and bench projects with Whitworth and has helped develop a computational pipeline that allows the lab to identify sequenced splice-junctions in a large RNA-Seq dataset collected from multiple tissues. Patrinos is also actively pursuing several publication opportunities, and Whitworth admires his ability to handle this advanced workload while continuing to excel in his classes.
“Most importantly, Demetri is simply a delight to work with,” Whitworth continued. “He is quick to answer questions, friendly and inviting to his peers, and extremely responsible and dependable.”
If you know a W&L student who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.
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