Horizons Fall 2014

42 HORIZONS A rti P atel ’s earliest science memory dates back to the fourth grade. That’s when her father taught her how to light a bulb using nothing but a battery and a copper wire—a literal trick of the light. “I knew a little bit about electricity back then, and I thought it was the greatest thing in the world,” Patel recalled. “I did a whole science project about it.” The native of Sterling Heights, Michigan, never lost her spark for science and what it means for her future. Now, the 20-year-old sophomore is a member of NSU’s Dual Admission Program for osteopathic medicine. Patel is majoring in biology and double minoring in chemis- try and psychology, a formula that will leave her with plenty of opportunities when she graduates with her doctor- ate in 2019. “I don’t know if I want to open my own practice, work in a hospital, or travel and work internationally,” she said. “There are a lot of options, so I’m keep- ing everything open right now.” Patel is used to having her options open. Graduating third out of 94 in her international baccalaureate high school class, she could have had her pick of universities. NSU stood out to her because of its Dual Admission Program and the sunny location, which provided a respite from Michigan’s icy winters. And Patel received a Ron and Kathy Assaf Endowed Merit Scholar- ship, which covered her tuition and on-campus housing for four years. “When I first came here, I didn’t know whether I was going to have a scholarship or not, because I had just applied,” she said. “My parents were in the process of taking out another loan on the house. We were having a payment plan set up, because we couldn’t afford it all at once. And then the scholarship came.” This sense of financial relief meant one less burden to worry about, allowing Patel to focus more fully on her stud- ies. Her favorite professor, Song Gao, taught Patel in her freshman chemistry class and became her faculty mentor on her honor’s thesis, which was dedicated to the study of atmospheric aerosols. “It was quick for me to see that she had a solid background in math and the sciences, based on her always top or near-top scores on all the exams and quizzes,” said Gao, Ph.D., asso- ciate professor at the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. “She has a genuine passion for studying science, always asking in-depth questions about chem- istry and often stretching to the broader physical and biological sciences, not satisfied with merely test requirements or textbook materials.” Patel’s dedication has led to a number of honors. In 2013, she received a National Science Foundation Scholarship on Green Chemistry, joining just 39 other awardees at the annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference in Washington, D.C. She spoke at this year’s groundbreaking of NSU’s $80-million Center for Collaborative Research, and she’s currently the president of the NSU chapter of Student’s Thrill for Science Has Never Wavered By John Thomason Arti Patel, who is enrolled in NSU’s Dual Admission Program for osteopathic medicine, was honored with the Ron and Kathy Assaf Endowed Merit Scholarship, which covered her tuition and on-campus housing for four years.