Indiana Wesleyan University is pleased to announce IWU senior Alyssa Powell was awarded a full-ride scholarship to Indiana University’s School of Optometry.
At Indiana University, she will complete her Doctor of Optometry and her Masters in Vision Science at the same time. This four-year program consists of research, externships in the fourth year, and completing a thesis for the master’s program.
Powell applied for the scholarship in the fall of 2020. To be eligible, she had to have taken the GRE test, then she wrote a statement about her interest in research and her plans for the future. In February, she interviewed with a professor and just recently was named one of few recipients.
During her time at IWU Powell led a team of undergraduate research students in the Kreitzer Research Lab, funded by the National Science Foundation. She has participated in two intensified Hodson Summer Research programs and trained lab students in experimental techniques.
“Being able to research during undergrad with Dr. Kreitzer has been such an eye-opening experience for me,” Powell said. “Through joining an undergraduate research team and participating in summer research, I have been able to develop a love for research that I don’t think I would have now without these experiences.”
Powell’s contributions in the Kreitzer Research Lab have helped students understand glial cell regulation of nerve cell communication as well as how visual signals are processed. This year, Powell was a co-author of a research paper published in the Journal of Neurophysiology: https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00546.2020.
“Her accomplishments as an undergraduate are outstanding and have contributed to her being sought after by multiple optometry schools,” Dr. Matthew Kreitzer said. “They also make Alyssa well-deserving of the scholarship she recently received to pursue a joint research/optometry degree at Indiana University School of Optometry.”
