2019 Award: Peter G. Pauw Award for Distinction in Biology
Major: Biology (B.S.), Research Concentration
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Extracurricular activities: Gonzaga Science Scholars co-president, Hughes after Dark mentor, ESL student teaching assistant
About the award
Each year the Biology Department gives two awards to honor individuals who demonstrate academic excellence in biology, a commitment to their field as indicated by exceptional research or service, and potential for significant professional achievement.
The Peter G. Pauw Award for Distinction in Biology is named in honor of retiring professor Peter Pauw, who required his students to learn to integrate and synthesize information from a variety of sources, and challenged his students to think in sophisticated ways. This year the graduating student who most clearly demonstrates these intellectual ideals is Kerrie Buehler. Kerrie is a student who is enthusiastic about learning. She asks excellent questions, and thinks deeply about concepts. Kerrie’s exam essays were some of the best her professors had ever encountered. Kerrie performed independent research with Dr. Bill Ettinger, working to develop an antimicrobial that would limit hospital-acquired infections. She was very productive, and had a fantastic attention to detail. Kerrie also served her fellow students as a peer mentor tutor, and she worked closely with Christina Briones as a co-leader of the Gonzaga Science Scholars. Congratulations, Kerrie!
More about Kerrie
Future Plans:
I am planning to apply to medical schools in June, and then I will be off to nanny in Italy for six weeks! After that, I will return to Seattle for the rest of the year to work on clinical research at the Swedish Cancer Institute.
How has your major contributed to your professional or personal development?
One of my favorite parts about GU is all of the amazing professors I have interacted with and learned from. I really enjoyed having small classes and seeing my professors genuinely fascinated with the subjects they are teaching. This has inspired me to love what I am learning and pursue a career I am passionate about and will hopefully excite me every day.
What has been your proudest or most significant accomplishment during your Gonzaga career?
I think one of my proudest moment at Gonzaga was getting chosen for the Gonzaga Biomedical Internship in Seattle last summer. I had wanted to be a part of the program since freshman year and was rejected my sophomore year when I applied, but I worked really hard the next year to become a stronger candidate and was so excited to finally reach one of my biggest goals at GU.