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Gwen Beacham named valedictorian at the University of Maine

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Gwendolyn M. Beacham
Gwendolyn M. Beacham

ORONO — Gwendolyn M. Beacham of Farmington, is the 2015 valedictorian at the University of Maine.

Beacham, a biochemistry major and honors student, was named the Outstanding Graduating Student in the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture.

She received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, a national award given to rising undergraduate juniors and seniors in the STEM fields, and the George Mitchell Peace Scholarship to study abroad in spring 2014 at University College Cork in Ireland. Most recently, she was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

At UMaine, Beacham has been involved in the national Phage Genomics Program, sponsored by Howard Hughes Medical Institute, by taking the HON 150/155 Phage Genomics course. She interned at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, an affiliate of Cornell University, where her work focused on the commercial algae biofuel production, and the MDI Biological Laboratory, studying cilia differentiation in sea urchin and sand dollar embryos.

On campus, Beacham’s research has focused on mycobacteriophages, which are viruses that infect bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium. In collaboration with Assistant Research Professor Sally Molloy, Beacham studied a particular phage named Ukuleke that was isolated at UMaine in the Phage Genomics course Beacham took in her first year. Beacham’s project focused on identifying which genes encode the proteins that are involved in regulating Ukulele’s life cycles.

Her numerous awards for research and academic achievement included fellowships from UMaine’s Center for Undergraduate Research, and research fellowships from the Maine IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE).

Beyond the laboratory and classroom, Beacham has been involved in many student organizations, including the UMaine chapter of Engineers Without Borders, which took her to Honduras in 2013 to finish installing a septic system in a rural community. She also was a member of Alternative Breaks, and campus-based All Maine Women and Sophomore Eagles honor societies. Beacham was a teaching assistant and, in 2013, took first place in the annual Rezendes Ethics Essay contest.

This fall, Beacham will enter the Ph.D. track at Cornell University in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology. She hopes to be a professor and contribute to science policy.

A graduate of Mt. Blue High School, Beacham is the daughter of Robert and Nancy Beacham of Farmington,

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12 Comments

  1. Dear Gwen: We are so proud of you! But I am not surprised at your excellence — I remember vividly how awesome you were at the piano. Best of Luck — Kathryn & John S.

  2. Great news, Gwen. Congratulations! Hope you’ve kept up with your piano as well.
    Milton Kidd

  3. Congratulations, Gwen! Sounds like you’ve had a busy college life, thanks for the inspiration to our young people.

  4. Gwen, it takes a lot to impress me, and I am truly impressed with your outstanding achievements! You have a resume way beyond your years. We are so proud of you. You will make the world a better place; you already have. Congratulations!

    Jim G.

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