Warren Perry will study the effects of genetics on epileptic medicines.

Warren Perry (2008) was one of four NC State students to receive the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for the 2007-078 academic year. Along with Jennifer Boyd, Joe Morrow and Jennifer Ricks, Warren was selected from a field of 1,110 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide.

A native of Wendell, Warren is majoring in biological sciences and is a member of the University Scholars Program. An active volunteer at both a local hospital and medical school, he also became proficient in Spanish so he could work with and translate for patients at a local health-care clinic where he serves as a certified nurse-assistant.

The Goldwater application requires students to discuss personally conducted research as well as propose a future research project. For his, Warren wrote about an experiment from his sophomore year, where he tested fruit flies to track the development of the nervous system in mammals. His current research interests grew out of one of his genetics classes—an examination of the effects of genetics on epilepsy medicine. The Goldwater Scholarship will help him continue his research on genetics, epilepsy and the nervous system.

After graduation, Warren plans to attend an M.D.-Ph.D. program that will position him to serve his communities through a research-based clinical practice or possibly his own epileptic clinic.

Goldwater Scholarship selections are made by the board of trustees of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, a federally endowed agency established in 1986 to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The awards are based on academic merit and cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

NC State is one of only seven universities to have four students selected as Goldwater Scholars this year. 31 NC State students have received the coveted Goldwater Scholarships since the programs inception, including eight Park Scholars.