ARCS-Scholars-2015
The recipients of the 6th Annual ARCS Foundation Utah Scholar Awards were honored Thursday, Oct. 22, during a luncheon at the John A. Moran Eye Center.

ARCS Foundation Utah Chapter is one of 17 chapters of the national nonprofit women’s organization throughout the country, which helps U.S. students completing degrees in science, engineering and medical research at 53 research universities across the nation. The group has awarded $91 million to more than 9,000 students since its inception in 1958.

This year’s scholars are:

Aniqua Z. Baset (School of Computing)

Aniqua Z. Baset completed her master’s in computer science and engineering at the University of South Carolina, Columbia. In her MS thesis, she explored the security and privacy threats to smart home systems. Her keen interest in computer security and privacy research brought her to the University of Utah where she will be involved in the study of human aspects in computer security. Born in Boston, Mass., and raised in Bangladesh, Baset is acquainted with the diverse range of tech-user experience and expectations across cultures.

Amanda Reynolds (Bioengineering)

Amanda Reynolds completed a bachelor’s in biochemistry at the University of Florida in Gainesville. As an honors undergraduate, she mastered advanced research techniques in fluorescent microscopy where she created protocols and ran her own experiments working as a research assistant in the materials science department and Veterans Affairs Hospital. As a graduate student in bioengineering, Reynolds is researching the properties and uses of collagen mimetic peptides in drug delivery and imaging applications.

Cecinio “Nikko” Castillo Ronquillo Jr. (Ophthalmology)

Nikko Ronquillo graduated summa cum laude from the University of Toledo with a bachelor’s in biology and chemistry and received his MD/Ph.D. at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Since 2010, he has worked as an MD/Ph.D. researcher at Moran, working alongside world-renowned biochemist and genetic researcher, Wolfgang B. Baehr. During this time, Ronquillo became the acknowledged expert on Senior-Loken Syndrome, a rare inherited disease caused by a genetic mutation.

Jocelyn Todd (Bioengineering)

Jocelyn Todd graduated from the University of Iowa with a BSE in biomedical engineering with Highest Distinction. She developed an interest in orthopedic biomechanics research, stemming from her experience as a cross-country and track athlete and internship experiences at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute, University of Iowa Orthopedic Biomechanics Research Laboratory, and the University of Leipzig in Germany. Jocelyn was selected as a 2015 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and is conducting her graduate research in the Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory, where she is advised by Dr. Jeff Weiss.