In April, Chloe Brekhus was named a Goldwater Scholar. Now, the Colorado State University undergraduate has picked up another prestigious STEM honor.
Brekhus was one of 68 students from across the country to be recently named an Astronaut Scholar. The scholarships — valued up to $15,000 to each recipient — are awarded to students who intend to pursue research or advance their field after graduation.
Brekhus — an Honors Program student studying biomedical and mechanical engineering in the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering — said she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and conduct research in orthopedic treatments and technology. The career goal stems from her experiences as a gymnast in which she has had multiple recurrent injuries.
“Lower back problems like spinal stress fractures are often either treated by months of rest and physical therapy, or by spinal fusion surgery if the injury doesn’t improve,” she said. “Neither of these options are ideal for an athlete.”
Brekhus explained that she hopes to make a positive impact on athletes’ lives by researching new technologies to better treat these types of injuries.
At CSU, Brekhus has been a part of the Orthopaedic Bioengineering Research Laboratory, a CSU research facility for training future leaders in orthopaedic research and bioengineering. At the OBRL, Brekhus said she has been able to study several orthopedic devices, including an external fixator, an interbody spinal fusion cage and a rotator cuff repair implant.
“The experience has really shown me how I can combine my engineering and medical knowledge to create devices with incredible healing capabilities,” she said. “I found the research process of developing such devices to be intriguing.”
Additionally, Brekhus has been a part of several research projects at CSU, including the development of an external fixation device to be used in a distraction osteogenesis procedure. “In essence, the goal of this procedure is to heal severe long bone fractures,” she said. “A segment of damaged bone is removed, and then the external fixation device slowly pulls another segment of bone across the gap, allowing new bone tissue to form in its wake.”
Brekhus’ research interests and academic scholarship led to her Goldwater Scholarship this year. Established by Congress in 1986, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation operates an educational scholarship program designed to provide opportunities for outstanding U.S. students with excellent academic records and demonstrated interest in, and potential for, research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. The scholarship award covers eligible expenses up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.
“I’m incredibly grateful to receive both the Goldwater and Astronaut scholarships, and I can’t thank my mentors at the OBRL enough for giving me the research opportunities that led to these awards,” she said. “Working there has been a dream come true, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Astronaut Scholarship
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation was established in 1984 by the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts as a way to ensure that the United States would maintain its leadership in science and technology by supporting STEM college students. Since that time, astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs have also embraced this mission.
CSU students interested in applying for an Astronaut Scholarship can contact Mary Swanson, program director for the Office for Scholarship and Fellowship Advising, at mary.swanson@colostate.edu.