UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nate Carey, a Penn State Schreier Honors student and Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate (IUG) student from Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, has been awarded the 2024 Astronaut Scholarship.
The national scholarship, administered by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, provides $15,000 for educational expenses to undergraduate students pursuing careers in engineering, mathematics, natural sciences or applied scientific research. This year, scholarships were awarded to 71 students from 48 national universities.
Carrie is a fourth-year student in the Penn State IUG Master of Biotechnology (MBIOT) program, majoring in Biotechnology with minors in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Military Studies. He is studying in the Eberly College of Science at the University Park campus. The MBIOT program, supervised by Natasha Tylko, is typically a five-year program, but Carrie will complete it in four years. IUG students take undergraduate and master’s courses simultaneously, allowing Carrie to graduate with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in May 2025. In addition to the astronaut scholarship, Carrie was one of three Penn State Goldwater Scholars for the 2024-25 academic year.
As an undergraduate researcher, Cary worked with Melissa Rawls in the Rawls lab, studying microtubule dynamics in neurons, using Drosophila as a model organism.
“This research provides fundamental information to support drug discovery research for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,” said Carey. He also worked as a research technician at the Sartorius Cell Culture Facility, studying mammalian cells. Carey said his undergraduate research had a profound impact on his life, giving him a clearer understanding of and confirming his interest in a future career in research and development.
Carey will be taking part in two research internships this summer, working to improve a new 3D bioprinting system being developed at the University of Gottingen in Germany through the Max Planck Matter to Life Undergraduate Research Opportunity, where his goal is to “assist the pharmacology and toxicology department in improving engineered heart muscle (EHM) patches that are surgically implanted into patients’ hearts,” he said.
At the end of July, Carey will move to Campus Biotech in Geneva, Switzerland, to work on EPFL’s Excellence in Engineering (E3) program in the new Laboratory for Chemical Nanotechnology. Carey will work in a team aiming to integrate aptamers into a new hydrogel-based platform.
“The aim of this research is to improve the capabilities of biosensors being developed at the Chemical Nanotechnology Laboratory (CHEMINA),” said Carey.
In addition to his research activities, Cary is involved with the Army Reserve Officer Training Course and the Institute for Industrial Biotechnology (SIB) at Penn State.
“The Army Reserve Officer Training Course has brought a great deal of discipline and order to my life, which has greatly helped me in my academic and research pursuits,” Carey said. The tactical and field training has given him strong leadership skills, and the program also afforded him the opportunity to study abroad in Morocco last summer and complete an engineering internship in Japan.
As SIB chair from January 2023 to February 2024, Carey led education and scholarship programs such as “Excellence in Futures,” in which 10 students received scholarships and worked on three projects to increase student engagement in biotechnology under Carey’s leadership.
Carey is also a member and co-founder of the startup BioReact Inc. Founded in 2023, BioReact develops AI-based software for bioprocess optimization, enabling research groups and companies to speed up the process of cell growth and product yield. Carey plans to use this experience to prepare him to launch a new company in the future.
Carey says that achieving academic success while simultaneously being actively involved in extracurricular activities during his time at Penn State “was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” and he sees the Goldwater and Astronaut Scholarships as recognition of his hard work and accomplishments and a reminder of why he chose this field of study.
Carrie said the motivation she gained from the award was especially valuable after losing her father to pancreatic cancer, noting that the award will inspire her to continue to do her best, as her father always encouraged her to do, and to further holistically focus on “research opportunities that will fundamentally change outcomes for cancer patients like my father.”
When asked about his future goals, Carey said he aims to earn a doctorate in biomedical science or biomedical engineering immediately after graduation while maintaining his commission in the U.S. Army.
“My main long-term goal is to develop autologous human tissues and organs that can be mass-produced for use in preclinical trials and transplantation,” he said.
He added that for now he plans to continue his academic, industrial and military/government research, but in the long term he hopes to start a company based on this research.
Details of the Astronaut Scholarship and How to Apply
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) was founded in 1984 to “ensure America’s sustained leadership in science and technology by supporting the most talented college students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” according to its website.
The program was founded by the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts, Betty Grissom, widow of astronaut Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Mercury flight surgeon William Douglas, and businessman Henri Landwirth, a friend of Mercury 7. The founding members awarded the first seven scholarships in 1986 and began raising funds for future scholarships through each astronaut’s personal donations and raising awareness of the program. Today, the Foundation has awarded more than 60 scholarships worth up to $15,000 each.
The Mercury 7 were America’s first astronauts, selected from U.S. military pilots in the late 1950s, and included Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, and Grissom. The Foundation also received support from astronauts who had flown on Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle missions.
The scholarship program includes the Astronaut Scholars Conference (paid trip to ASF Innovators Weekend), mentorship, professional development, networking, and recognition (astronauts, Astronaut Scholars alumni, and lifelong engagement with the Foundation).
The University will nominate up to two applicants for the award each year using an internal Penn State selection process supported by Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Mentoring (URFM). To be selected, applicants must be U.S. citizens, full-time sophomore or junior students at Penn State, and majoring in an approved STEM field with the intent of pursuing a research career. Nominations will be based on creativity and innovation, self-motivation, and outstanding academic performance.
Nominated students must confirm that they meet the eligibility requirements and submit two letters of recommendation, a personal statement, copies of transcripts, and a CV (curriculum vitae) or resume.
Students interested in applying for the scholarship can contact Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Mentoring at urfm@psu.edu to learn more about the scholarship program and see if they meet the eligibility criteria.
Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Mentoring is part of the Penn State Office of Undergraduate Education.
