Hope College student Gloria Kozak 鈥�27 of Midland, Mich., received the highly competitive scholarship from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. Kozak is a chemistry major, working with her research mentor Dr. Meagan Elinski, assistant professor of chemistry at Hope. Kozak was one of just 14 Goldwater Scholarship Award recipients from Michigan colleges and universities, and one of 454 nationally.
Kozak started research with Dr. Elinski in the spring of 2024, working together over
two summers and throughout the 2025-26 academic year. During that time, Kozak contributed
to several projects within a tribology lab which focused on studying interacting surfaces
in motion. Their research looked at treatment options for patients dealing with osteoarthritis
鈥� the degenerative disease in the joints that leads to high friction and pain in patients.
The pair researched treatment options that could help reduce friction and, therefore,
pain.
Kozak said they used polyacrylamide hydrogels as a model system to simulate joint cartilage. One of the treatment options they investigated for osteoarthritis was nanoparticle injections. In doing so they used a wide variety of nanoparticle capping ligands to simulate different drugs. The ligands had a wide variety of hydrogen bonding, molecular weight and molecular shape. They tested the friction measurements using an instrument called a rheometer, which allowed them to see what ligand (drug) structures proved most promising for the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Additionally, Kozak explored click-chemistry approaches using azides as photo-reactive ligands. Although still preliminary, early data has shown potential differences in friction between the unreacted and reacted states. This will be important in discerning which drugs could help improve movement and reduce pain in patients.
Outside her research work, Kozak has been active on campus with various student organizations such as the Women in Science and Engineering, where she served as treasurer and will be president for the upcoming academic year. She鈥檚 also been active in Hope鈥檚 Bible studies, served as a teacher assistant for Hope鈥檚 Day 1 Watershed class, and as a tutor for other students in general chemistry, sociology and psychology.
Kozak is a 2023 graduate of Bullock Creek High School in Midland, Mich. While she鈥檚 still exploring career paths, she鈥檚 most interested in the medical and research fields.
About the Barry Goldwater Scholarship
The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed, independent agency established in 1986. The scholarship program honoring the late Senator Barry Goldwater was designed to identify, encourage and financially support outstanding undergraduates interested in pursuing research careers in the sciences, engineering and mathematics. The Barry Goldwater Scholarship is the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
The scholarships are for one or two years, depending on the recipient鈥檚 year in school, and cover the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year