Biochemistry and molecular biology junior Trisha Chau received a 2017 Tunison Scholarship from OSU’s chapter of the honor society Phi Kappa Phi for her impressive scholarly achievements. A Tunison Scholarship is awarded to two outstanding juniors every year to assist in completing the senior year at Oregon State.
Chau lives life to the hilt in college. She is a member of the Taekwondo Club, plays the piano beautifully and is pursuing a minor in music and chemistry. In a study abroad program last December, she served as a public health teacher at an elementary school in Bali, Indonesia. She is also a volunteer math and science tutor at Corvallis High School. On top of that, Chau maintains a near-perfect GPA.
Chau works in Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics Colin Johnson’s laboratory, where she investigates the protein FerIL-6’s role in muscle development in zebrafish. She was a pediatric cardiology summer research intern at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) where she characterized and compared vortex flows in normal and abnormal hearts.
“The best thing about being a science student at OSU is that I came here wanting to learn and try everything, and I got opportunities to do just that,” said Chau.
Chau has garnered various scholarships and awards at OSU, including the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Fellowship (SURE) and the OSU Amy-Chadburn Pre-Medical Scholarship. Chau hopes to pursue a career in medicine and serve in underdeveloped parts of the world.
