Senior Catherine Newman awarded Gates-Cambridge scholarship

For one Duke senior, pursuing her future ambitions just became a little easier.

Catherine Newman—a chemistry major with a concentration in biochemistry and a minor in biology—was recently selected as a Gates-Cambridge Scholar, an award that will cover her tuition and living expenses while she studies at the University of Cambridge next year.

“I couldn’t believe [that I had been chosen],” Newman said. “I immediately called my parents and had to check the email again.”

Newman is one of only 35 recipients in the U.S. More than 4,500 applicants competed for 90 spots, 55 of which are reserved for students outside the United States. The Gates-Cambridge Scholarship program—which was established in 2000 with a grant of $210 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—selects recipients based on their intellect, leadership potential and commitment to improving the lives of others.

In addition to tuition, the scholarship will provide Newman with opportunities such as dinners and lectures along with group bonding activities so the scholars can get acquainted with each other, Newman said.

“The other candidates are just amazing people,” she said. “I can’t wait to meet them all.”

At Cambridge, Newman plans to pursue a master’s degree of philosophy in biological science with a biochemistry concentration in a one-year program, she explained. She said that she hopes to study multi-drug resistance using cryo-electron microscopy, which she has previously done at Duke in the laboratory of Richard Brennan, James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry.

“Cat is a gifted scholar with a strong bent toward understanding biology through the eyes of a chemist, who also still manages her time so effectively that she is able to contribute to the local and world community in so many meaningful ways,” Brennan said in a Duke Today release.

In the future, Newman hopes to earn her Ph.D. as well as a medical degree and is interested in researching proteins to design drugs.

“I see myself in between being a doctor and a researcher,” she said.

Newman noted that she decided to apply for the program because she wanted to explore areas of research before committing to an MD-PhD program. In addition, the location interested her.

“I think studying in the U.K. and getting different perspectives will be cool,” Newman said.

As an undergraduate, Newman has served as a campus chairperson for the Global Medical Brigades program, which conducts one-week service trips to locations like Honduras and collaborates with local communities. She also has volunteered with Duke Femmes—Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering and Science—which hosts educational programs for girls, she said.

The Mebane, N.C., native was a fellow in the Howard Hughes Research Program and was awarded a Duke Biochemistry Summer Fellowship and the Duke Chemistry Research Fellowship.

Newman noted that she is looking forward to interacting with the other scholars.

“I’m excited to work with the other [scholars] and discuss ideas with them,” she said.