Barry Goldwater Scholarship Winner Vivian Chavez Sets Her Sights on a Career in Environmental Biochemistry

Vivian Chavez earned an Associate of Science (A.S.) degree at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) in December 2023, and will cross the BMCC commencement stage in June 2024.

During her time at BMCC, Ms. Chavez not only maintained a 4.0 GPA, she was a member of the Life Drawing Club, Phi Theta Kappa, ASAP and the Transfer Scholars Network (TSN).

You could also find her kneeling at the muddy edge of the Hudson River, pulling up a crab trap with fish she measured as part of a project made possible by BMCC’s partnership with the Hudson River Park Trust.

“One of my responsibilities included continuing a historical fish survey to monitor the local fish population of the Hudson River,” she said. “I would put the fish in a bin with water, then put a measuring board in the water and record their length in centimeters.”

The research team caught Blackfish, also known as Tautog, as well as striped bass and oyster toadfish.

“Occasionally, though, you would get an eel or a seahorse,” says Ms. Chavez. “We did this in any weather, hot or cold—anything but a thunderstorm.”

Usually, they would immediately release the fish back into the Hudson River.

“But sometimes,” she says, “we would take the fish we caught up to the Hudson River Wet Lab at Pier 40 for viewing by the public until they were set free with a big ‘Release of the Fishes’ celebration in October.”

A high school chemistry teacher inspires a shift from art to science

Chavez explains that the point of her work with the Hudson River Park Trust was to gauge water quality and the environmental impact of contaminants on its ecosystem.

“My career goal is to pursue research in environmental biochemistry,” she says. “I am also interested in scientific illustration.”

That last bit—the illustration mention—makes more sense as Chavez goes deeper into her story.

“I’ve done a lot of human sketches. I was part of the BMCC Life Drawing Club,” she says. “Because of the biology classes I’ve taken, I can draw the human figure more accurately.”

Her love of art started early. “As a kid, I loved to express myself through drawing,” she says. “I wanted to be an artist and went to the High School of Art and Design in Midtown Manhattan.”

Ironically, that’s where her interest in the sciences emerged.

“I decided art wasn’t the right career for me, and my chemistry teacher shared some of her passion for the sciences with me in class. I transferred to Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens, due to personal reasons, but I only grew more interested in science afterwards.”

She plans to have completed her bachelor’s degree by June 2026.

“I have applied to transfer to several bachelor degree programs,” she says. “I was accepted into Lehman College and the City College of New York (CCNY), both CUNY schools; as well as Stony Brook University, the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), and Binghamton University. I’m still waiting to hear from the private and Ivy League schools.”

During that wait for colleges to respond to her applications, Chavez got some good news—she was selected as a recipient of the prestigious Barry Goldwater scholarship.

According to the Barry Goldwater Foundation website, among the 508 scholarship winners for 2024, there are only four CUNY students, including Chavez.

The Foundation website also states that scholars are entitled to funding in both their junior and senior years, up to a maximum of $7,500 each year, or $15,000 total.

The Goldwater scholarship recognizes college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. It was established by Congress in 1986 to honor the lifetime work of Senator Barry Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years in the U.S. Senate.

Winning the Barry Goldwater scholarship is a reminder “to keep going and strive for more.”

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation lists Ms. Chavez among its 2024 scholars, and lists as her mentors Drs. Caitlin Light, Whitni K. Redman and David Davies, faculty in the Biofilm Research Center at SUNY Binghamton.

Referred by BMCC Science Professor Christine Priano, Ms. Chavez applied to the ten-week SUNY program in the summer of 2022.

“We investigated two different methods to break down microbial biofilms, which are groups of microorganisms encased in a film of polymers,” says Ms. Chavez. “You can think of it like a house they built to protect themselves from threats, like antibiotics, that an individual bacterium would be prone to.”

What fascinated her the most by this exploration, she says, “was how strong these biofilms are. So many chronic infections persist because of biofilms, and there aren’t many treatment options to directly attack them.”

The research experience at SUNY Binghamton, in tandem with her Hudson River Park research through BMCC, might well have been what helped her Goldwater scholarship application land in the “Yes” pile.

“I definitely felt shocked to see the email saying I’d gotten the scholarship,” she says. “After getting the acceptance letter, I felt somewhat fulfilled knowing that the effort I put into various research projects had been recognized.”

She adds that, “To me, this award serves as a reminder to keep going and strive for more.”

Faculty mentors help build a foundation for future research projects

In addition to others she has mentioned, Ms. Chavez thanks two faculty members at BMCC for supporting her as a student and burgeoning researcher.

“Professor Boyda Johnstone was so supportive during and after our English classes together,” she says. “Professor Priano helped shape my interest in research through her enjoyable biology classes. Both of these professors wrote a recommendation letter for me, and I am so grateful for their help.”

“Of course, I also want to also thank Ms. Sussie Gyamfi, for telling me about this opportunity and helping me through the whole scholarship application process,” she says, referring to BMCC’s Scholarship Manager.

That process, she says, and her research experiences, have been life-changing.

“My mom came here from Taiwan and my dad came here from Peru,” she says. “I grew up in Queens, and I feel like my research could take me anywhere.”

She adds that environmental issues are universal, “and embedded in many other problems our world has today. I want to study the cycles that keep life thriving and apply that knowledge to investigate how we’ve disrupted them. If my research can set up a foundation for a better future, even just a little bit, I will know I have reached an important goal.”