University at Albany sophomore Julita Ewa Patrosz (pictured on the left) has won the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. The scholarship is the nation's premier undergraduate award for outstanding students in the fields of science, engineering and mathematics.

Julita is a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major. During the summer of 2008 she plans to work in the lab of her adviser, Associate Professor of Chemistry Dr. Jayanti Pande, engaged in researching the use of biophysical techniques to understand mutations in lens proteins leading to the formation of cataracts. Julita plans to do graduate work in biology or chemistry in the future and would like to pursue a career in bioinformatics research.