One thousand applicants, 90 finalists and two Auburn students selected among finalists to interview for the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England.
Paul Bergen, May 2012 graduate and Fulbright Scholar at the Technical University of Munich, and James "Jimmy" Kaczmarek, senior in chemical engineering, have been selected to interview to become Gates Cambridge Scholars.
"It was winter break and I was sitting there watching TV and an email popped up and it said congratulations on being short listed for the Gates Cambridge finalist." Kaczmarek said. "And I was just like, YES."
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is highly competitive and is a full-cost scholarship awarded to outstanding students outside of the United Kingdom to pursue a post-graduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge.
"I definitely feel honored that I was selected as a finalist," Bergen said.
At Auburn, both Bergen and Kaczmarek have been heavily involved while maintaining 3.97 GPAs.
Bergan, of Cooper City,Fla, was president of the Microbiology Club, part of the Mock Trial Team and was a re-chartering member of the German Honor Society.
Kaczmarek, of Tampa ,Fla, is the trumpet section leader in the Auburn University Marching Band , a part of the national music fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha and a founding member of AU Cappella.
While at Auburn, Bergen was an undergraduate researcher under Dr. Mark Liles.
Begren's work in Liles' lab focused on metagenomics, which according to Liles "you are cloning and analyzing DNA from a community of bacteria and our focus here is on antibiotic discovery."
"The last year he was here, Paul and I were colleagues," said Liles. "He was definitely functioning at a higher level than most students do."
Liles said Bergen will be a co-author on a manuscript on the science he did and that is one of the best forms recognition; that your science is being published.
Bergen received his undergraduate degree in both German and microbiology.
Kaczmarek works as an undergraduate researcher under Dr. Mark Byrne.
"His work ethic is second to none," Byrne said." I have yet to meet another student who has a work ethic like Jimmy."
Byrne described Jimmy as an excellent student, passionate, has high scholarship and isn't afraid to ask questions.
"In the classes that I have had him, he has been near the top, if not the top student in the class in terms of grades that he has received," Byrne said.
Bergen wants to work under Professors Vassilis Koronakis and Gillian Fraser, because their work is essentially what he wants to do with his career.
"The short explanation, I’m looking for microbial enzymes useful to a wide range of industries to make our lives cleaner, healthier, and more efficient," Bergen said.
Kaczmarek wants to focus on the control release of drugs through contact lenses.
"Instead of having to do eye drops four, six or eight times a day and having to wake up in the middle of the night to take them," Kaczmarek said "you can just pop a contact lens in and then you just keep it like that for a couple of days."
Kaczmarek said this will help with patient compliance and people can get the treatment for the eye they need."
According to gatescambridge.com, the selection criteria are; outstanding intellectual ability, leadership potential, commitment to improving the lives of others and a good fit between the applicant's qualifications and aspirations of the postgraduate program at Cambridge University for which they are applying.
"I want to live my life to really make a difference for other people," Kaczmarek said.
There have been two previous Auburn graduates awarded the scholarship: David Harris (2011) and Cynthia Carver ( 2002).
Bergen's interview is set for Feb. 1 and Kaczmarek's interview is Feb 2; both conducted in Washington D.C.
"It's the interview that is going to set you apart. And I think that what makes it more extreme and more intense," Bergen said. "You have to be on top of your game and give the greatest interview you've given at that point."
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