Jeffrey Wong, Biochemistry and Microbiology Junior
Head of the CLAS
Jeffrey Wong
Jeffrey Wong, a junior majoring in both microbiology and cell science and biochemistry, was recently named one of 323 undergraduates nationwide to receive a prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.
Established by Congress in 1986 to foster and encourage excellence in science and mathematics, the Goldwater program annually selects college sophomores and juniors with outstanding scholastic achievement planning to pursue careers in science, engineering or medicine and supports their study with $7,500 for academic expenses.
Also a Beckman Scholar and Lombardi Scholar, Wong plans to earn an M.D./Ph.D. in molecular biology and conduct research focused on developing breakthrough platform therapeutics for cancer and infectious disease.
Born in the small suburb of San Ramon, California, Wong moved to South Florida in 1992 where he attended Western High School in Ft. Lauderdale. The impact of Hurricane Andrew sparked Wong’s interest in community disaster services. Through the American Red Cross, he became a certified disaster services volunteer and HIV/AIDS instructor, teaching peer prevention in area schools and organizations as a teenager.
Wong is working on a project funded by the National Institutes of Health to explore T-cell receptors and their applications for cancer and cardiovascular disease. In addition, he has worked to establish an elementary mathematics tutoring program in Ft. Lauderdale and helped manage an ecological awareness effort through a local museum.
