June 1, 2007

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Sarah Auffret, sauffret@asu.edu
(480) 965-6991
April 9, 2003

Sophomore inventor Ahmad receives Goldwater Scholarship

Lubna Ahmad, an 18-year-old ASU sophomore in bioengineering, has received a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, the nation's highest undergraduate award in science, mathematics and engineering.

Amy Novotny, a junior in biology and French, won an honorable mention in the competition.

Ahmad will receive $7,500 per year for up to two years. ASU students have won 25 Goldwater awards in the past 10 years, placing the university among the top 20 schools in the United States for the award.

Faculty from colleges and universities across the country nominated 1,093 students this year, with 300 winners selected.

Ahmad, who graduated as valedictorian of Tempe's Corona del Sol High School when she was only 16, is already working to develop a portable biosensor to measure acetone in the breath of a diabetic, as a noninvasive diagnostic tool. Working closely with Bioengineering Professor Eric Guilbeau, she has filed a patent disclosure on the device.

"Lubna is an exceptional student who is driving the research," says Guilbeau. "When we first began working together, I assumed she was older and was surprised to find she was much younger than the normal student. Several months ago she told me how excited she was that on that particular day she was getting her driver's license. She is also taking a full load of coursework and making excellent grades. It humbles me to work with her."

Ahmad has tutored children in her home for four years, working with youngsters who are learning disabled or gifted, since "they are two groups who often don't get what they need at school." She also works with refugees through her mosque and teaches piano.

As president and summer instructor for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), last year she created a hands-on robot building program for disadvantaged high school students. She plans to earn a doctorate in biomedical engineering and pursue an academic career at a university.

Novotny does ecological research, working at sites from the volcanic slopes of Mount St. Helens in Washington to the grasslands of Minnesota and the Arizona desert. She also plans to become a college professor.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986, to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in math, the natural sciences and engineering.

Auffret, with Media Relations & Public Information, can be reached at (480) 965-6991 or (sauffret@asu.edu).