Morgan Thompson, a junior in the Honors Program at Wayne State University, has been named a Goldwater Scholar by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The scholarship will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

Thompson, a resident of St. Clair Shores, is majoring in biological sciences and university honors with a 3.83 grade-point average. She received two WSU Undergraduate Research Grants, twice presented at the university’s Undergraduate Research Conference, and presented at the 2005 National Conference for Undergraduate Research.

Besides taking classes, Thompson works in the lab of Miriam Greenberg, professor of biology and associate dean for research for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, where she is conducting an independent research project dealing with the role of non-bilayer phospholipids in the cell viability of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Goldwater Scholarships were awarded to 323 sophomores and juniors from across the country. Recipients were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,081 math, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.