Louis Stokes Alliance Minority Participation (LSAMP) Scholar Cordiana Cozier—a junior chemistry major who plans to earn a Ph.D. with a focus on synthetic organic chemistry—has been selected for a 2022 Goldwater Scholarship.
Cozier is among three Syracuse students to receive the honor, which is the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship awarded in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States. This is the first time Syracuse University has had three scholars selected in one year.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor US Sen. Barry Goldwater, a five-term senator from Arizona. The purpose of the program is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to students who intend to pursue research careers in these fields.
Cozier says she hopes to eventually teach at the university level and research and develop organic materials that can serve as cancer therapeutics.
At Syracuse University, she has developed a robust understanding of the field of chemistry through organic chemistry, physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and other coursework. “These courses have taught me how chemistry can be used to formulate therapeutics and have expanded my knowledge of the way research in organic chemistry is dependent on knowledge of other subfields,” she says.
During summer 2021, Cozier completed an internship at MassBiologics, a biopharmaceutical lab focused on the prevention of infectious diseases such as Lyme, tetanus, and COVID-19, and she worked on a project to isolate anti-IgA nanobodies using a synthetic yeast library. In fall 2021, she joined the organic chemistry lab of Nancy Totah, Associate Professor of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, where she is assisting in research on the development of synthetic strategies for natural products.
Working in Totah’s lab, alongside graduate student Fortune Ogochukwu Ononiwu, has shown Cozier the ways that her education relates to and prepares her for research that can have a lasting impact on society.
Cozier says that the work she is doing on dihydropyrones can provide new strategies for the preparation of complex molecules and can benefit medicinal chemistry and drug development programs by increasing structural diversity in drug-like scaffolds. “To see the way this project and similar projects will have broad impacts within the science and medical world is what drives my passion for chemistry. I have always wanted to create something that drives change or benefits the society around me and chemistry has become that outlet and place for me to do so.”
As a woman of color, Cozier also wants to develop opportunities aimed at increasing diversity in the field of organic chemistry research. Through her African American studies minor, she has gained a nuanced understanding of the challenges minorities face in academia and within society and how important mentorship and representation is to overcome discrimination.
“For this reason, I have engaged in numerous activities focused on mentoring underrepresented students in STEM at SU,” Cozier says. She is an undergraduate associate for WiSE Women of Color in STEM.
As an LSAMP Scholar, Cozier attends workshops every other week focused on professional development and the mental health of students of color in STEM. She has also tutored under-resourced high school students in local public schools in science and math. At Syracuse University, Cozier has participate in Orange Seeds, Literacy Corps, and as a tutor for student-athletes.
Cozier is very passionate about equal access for all who are interested in pursuing a STEM career. “It is so important to me that my career goals to earn my Ph.D. in organic chemistry are being supported by this prestigious opportunity,” she says. “I am incredibly honored to have received this scholarship, which only serves to motivate me more within my future career as a chemist.”
Learn more about the Louis Stokes Alliance Minority Participation (LSAMP), part of the School of Education’s Center for Academic Achievement and Student Development.