Chemistry Major Rene Boiteau Awarded Churchill Prize

18 February 2009

Chemistry Major Rene Boiteau Awarded Churchill Prize

Northwestern University senior chemistry major, Rene Boiteau was awarded  a Churchill Scholarship to pursue graduate studies at the University of Cambridge. Selected from 99 nominees for only 14 scholarships available, eligible students must display high academic achievement and the capacity to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their field.

Rene Boiteau of Ashland, Mass., is a senior in the honors Integrated Science Program, majoring in chemistry and earth and planetary sciences. This year he is working in the chemistry laboratory of Thomas Meade, Eileen M. Foell Professor in Cancer Research and professor of chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology, neurobiology and physiology, and radiology, developing new MRI probes for detecting zinc. Last summer, Boiteau worked as an intern for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on a Hollings Scholarship.

“Boiteau has built up an excellent educational and research record at Northwestern,” says SonBinh T. Nguyen, professor of chemistry, Dow Chemical Company Research Professor and director of the Integrated Science Program.

At Cambridge, Boiteau will conduct paleoclimatology research to understand the role of ocean chemistry in regulating green house gas levels and global climate change. Boiteau plans to return to the U.S. to obtain a PhD in earth sciences and conduct environmental research and become a professor.