For the 2023-2024 academic year, the Brown Foundation is proud to have 4 pairs of Brown Scholar siblings – A pair of sisters, two pair of brothers, and brother- sister:
Emmanuel is running a study at A&M mixing simulated Martian soil with black soldier fly larvae frass (poop), as a nutrient substitute for soil, to enable vegetable growth on Mars. Emmanuel’s study was profiled in NPR and the New York Times.
Noah Taylor, a junior Biomedical Engineering major, took 20 credit hours for the 2023 Spring semester.
He is a member of the Corps of Cadets, a member of Rudder’s Rangers (an advanced training program) and a member of the Parsons Mounted Cavalry. He is the Platoon Sergeant of Company K-1 and the coordinator of Academics, Career Readiness and Recruiting.
While taking 20 credit hours, Noah also took the MCAT a year early.
Noah has a cumulative 4.0 GPA and scored 97% on the MCAT.
He was admitted to EnMed using the E2 EnMed EAP pathway.
Anish Easwaran, a junior Biomedical Engineering major, is a member of Engineering, Inc., the NSF I-CorpsSite program, Engineering Honors Executive Committee, Vice-President and Co-Founder of Aggies to Medicine, and TAMECT and a member of the Aggie Entrepreneurial Committee (his entrepreneurial efforts include StimuCalm, Aegis Armor, PillSafe and an app for pre-med students).
He is a Brown Foundation Freshmen Leadership Officer and was one of the three group leaders of the inaugural MSC Brown Smith UK Honors Leadership trip.
Anish and his teammates placed in the top 3 for the Rice Health Policy Hackathon, 3rd and 4th at Aggies Invent and Top 6 at Aggie Pitch.
He was a Gathright Dean’s Excellence Award winner for the College of Engineering and has a cumulative 3.9 GPA.
Anish was admitted to EnMed using the E2EnMed EAP pathway.
Sarah Voon, a junior Biomedical Engineering major, received her Aggie ring and completed her undergraduate thesis as a sophomore.
She is a Brown Foundation Freshmen Leadership Organization officer and was one of the three group leaders of the inaugural MSC Brown-Smith UK Honors Leadership trip.
Sarah was inducted into Alpha Eta Mu Beta, the National Biomedical Engineering Honor Society. She is a member of TAMECT.
Sarah has a cumulative 4.0 GPA and she took the MCAT a year early and scored 98%.
She was admitted to EnMed using the E2EnMed EAP pathway.
Dawson Benner, a junior Interdisciplinary Engineering major, spent the summer at IIT Gandhinagar, India researching the use of red carbon dots (produced from mango leaves) to: reduce cancer cells counts by 50% without damaging benign cells; close wounds between cells and increase cell counts; and differentiate neurons and cause connections between them, an avenue for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Dawson was first co-author of “Red Emitting Carbon Dots: Surface Modifications and Bioapplications” published in Nanoscale Advances.
Dawson has a cumulative 4.0 GPA and began fast-track coursework for the Master’s in Quantitative Finance at Mays Business School as a sophomore.
My name is Cathryn Gunawan, and I am a proud member of the Aggie Class of 2026, a biomedical engineering major, and I was admitted to the E2EnMed program. This summer I am researching in Dr. Villapol’s lab in the Department of Neurosurgery. Our lab studies the treatment of traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease through regeneration and the interaction between the gut and the brain. My research involves improving the characterization of shape changes in microglia—immune cells in the brain that cause inflammation—via 3D analysis to supplement our understanding of the neuroinflammatory response. I specifically looked at these immune cells after traumatic brain injury and treatment with probiotics to determine if probiotics are a viable treatment for traumatic brain injury. In addition to learning technical lab skills, I have also developed communication and presentation skills along with adaptability and independent thinking. I am so grateful to Mrs. Sue Smith and Mr. Craig Brown for providing and sponsoring this opportunity as well as the entire Villapol Lab for their support and encouragement. This experience has deepened my appreciation for research and broadened my understanding of the efforts that go into advancing medicine.
Michael Frost, a sophomore Aerospace Engineering major, opened a makerspace, Starforge Foundry, open to students interested in engineering projects.
L-R: Brown Scholar Meghan Shimer, Craig, Michael Frost, Sue, Interim Dean Johnny Hurtado.
Starforge Foundry tools include: lathe, laser cutter, 3D printers, bandsaw, hand tools, belt/disc sander, sheetmetal brake, flaring tools, spot welder, bench grinder, soldering irons, and a miniature CNC mill.
Michael has a cumulative 4.0 GPA.
Fouzul Kansul, a junior Biomedical Engineering major, was a podium presenter in the graduate student category at the 2023 Houston Methodist Summer Science Symposium. Her topic was “Sex Based Differences in Calcification Patterns of Chronic Lower Extremity Peripheral Arterial Disease”.
Her presentation received first place for Audience Choice in the graduate student category and second place overall for Audience Choice among graduate, postdoc and resident presentations.
Fouzul was admitted to EnMed using the E2EnMed pathway.
Abhinaya Murugndandham, a Junior Biomedical Engineering major, was first co-author on computational biology research published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.
She was first author for an abstract with Houston Methodist research in cardiac imaging published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). Abhinaya presented her abstract as a poster for the 72nd Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology.
She serves as Treasurer for TAMECT (Texas A&M Emergency Care Team).
Abhinaya has a cumulative 4.0 GPA and scored 100% on the MCAT.
She was admitted to EnMed using the E2EnMed EAP pathway.
