UMD Biological Sciences Senior Aaron Solomon Named 2017 Marshall Scholar
University of Maryland senior Aaron Solomon has been named a 2017 Marshall Scholar. The Marshall Scholarship, which allows American students to pursue graduate study at any university in the United Kingdom, is considered one of the most prestigious academic awards available to college graduates.
“Aaron is a young man bursting with ambition, creativity and grace,” said Mary Ann Rankin, senior vice president and provost at UMD. “He has already compiled a notable record of solution-driven research accomplishments and made extraordinary investments in service activities demonstrative of his deeply held commitment to improving the lives of others. We are privileged to count him among our own.”
Solomon—who is majoring in biological sciences, with a specialization in cell biology and genetics, and minoring in computer science—plans to use the scholarship toward a Master of Science degree in genomic medicine at Imperial College London followed by a Master of Philosophy degree in bioscience enterprise at the University of Cambridge. His long-term plans include earning his Ph.D. and pursuing a career in computational genomics.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Solomon, who also completed a citation in the Integrated Life Sciences Program of the Honors College. “The Marshall Scholarship will enable me to study cutting-edge biomedical science on a global scale and collaborate internationally to enhance human health. Throughout my years in the United Kingdom, I hope to prepare myself to tackle future challenges at the nexus of science and society.”
UMD’s fifth Marshall Scholar, Solomon has extensive community service and research experience, including projects focused on drastically reducing greenhouse gas pollutants in agricultural fertilizers using nanoscience techniques, genetically engineering fungi to attack mosquitos carrying malaria and developing bioinformatic tools to better understand breast cancer patient data.
During a summer research internship in 2015, Solomon analyzed trauma resuscitations and developed new software to flag drugs effective at lowering mortality rates caused by infectious pathogens at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. He also coordinated the efforts of lawyers, researchers and institutional officials to negotiate a major data-use agreement with other medical institutions, enabling the resumption of a five-year research program that had been halted by institutional conflicts over information sharing.
“I would easily rank Aaron as the top undergraduate I have mentored during my 25-year career,” said Maureen McCunn, professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Solomon’s mentor at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. “Aaron’s work ethic is incredibly strong, he is never afraid to ask questions and is barely able to contain his inquisitiveness during even the most stressful situations. His curiosity seems genuinely boundless.”
Solomon has also applied his scientific knowledge and computational skills to the bioterrorism arena for the past year.
“When I received funding to develop a tool to assess the threat of insiders smuggling nuclear weapons by air, I took the unusual move of asking Aaron—an undergraduate—to lead the project's software development efforts,” said Gary Ackerman, director of the Unconventional Weapons and Technology Division at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at UMD. “It’s important to note how rare this was; this project is not mere academic research, Aaron and the team he assembled are producing a tool that will be used by government agencies, air carriers and airports around the world to prevent catastrophic threats.”
In March 2017, Solomon and two classmates will watch a biology experiment they developed launch to the International Space Station. The experiment aims to expand our understanding of how bacteria behave in microgravity—and ultimately how to safeguard space travelers.
“There’s nothing like fulfilling a childhood dream of flying to space—even if it’s by proxy of an experiment,” said Solomon, who is a graduate of Eleanor Roosevelt High School’s Science and Technology Magnet Program in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Among his several community service activities, Solomon currently directs the Maryland Minorities in Math tutoring program, which enables underprivileged youth at nearby schools to build the mathematical competency necessary for success in the sciences. As president, he tripled the size of the program, integrated computer science into the curriculum in hopes of spurring interdisciplinary curiosity and innovation among the students, and initiated the program in middle schools.
“Aaron is extraordinary,” said Richard Bell, a UMD associate professor of history who serves as UMD’s faculty advisor for United Kingdom fellowships. “He has a knack for teamwork and for building consensus and has repeatedly seized opportunities to apply his training in the biological sciences and computational mathematics to pressing real-world problems.”
Founded by a 1953 Act of Parliament and named in honor of U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the Marshall Scholarships commemorate the humane ideals of the Marshall Plan and they express the continuing gratitude of the British people to their American counterparts. The first class of 12 Marshall Scholars arrived in the United Kingdom in 1954; those elected today will enter universities in 2017.
The scholarships, which can be extended up to three years, provide university fees, cost of living expenses, an annual book grant, a thesis grant, research and daily travel grants, fares to and from the United States, and a contribution toward the support of a dependent spouse.
