Grace Volk

Chemistry Major and Student-Athlete Wins Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

By UNC Asheville

May 6^th, 2021

Grace Volk had two things in mind when she was looking at college: she wanted to play competitive volleyball, and she wanted a school that would prepare her for a career in chemistry. She found both at UNC Asheville.

“I knew I wanted to major in chemistry, so I looked into the opportunities that were provided to undergraduates,” Volk said.

“I was very impressed that I could enter a lab and actually do undergraduate research for most of my college career. The department also offers great scholarships, so all around it was a perfect fit for me.”

Volk, now a rising senior studying chemistry and Division I volleyball player, has been awarded a Goldwater Scholarship, the preeminent national scholarship awarded to undergraduates studying the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. She is one of only 291 students across the country majoring in the natural sciences to receive the Goldwater Scholarship this year. Volk is the third UNC Asheville student to earn a Goldwater Scholarship in the past three years, following Mallory Rathrock in 2020, and Blanton Gillespie in 2018.

Volk entered the chemistry program at UNC Asheville as a North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Scholar, which introduced her to the Chemistry Department’s rigorous research program in her first year. The program provides scholarship funding, scientific training in disciplines at the intersection of biology and chemistry, and stipend support for research in the laboratory of a program faculty member.

Volk during a Division I volleyball match.

“With a team effort in curriculum design, department culture, and student support for all students, the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department believes that guiding students to learn how to ask important questions, design ways to answer these questions, and critically evaluate the process is one of the most impactful ways to learn how to be a scientist,” said Sally Wasileski, chair and professor of chemistry.

“Every single chemistry major gains the in-depth experience of mentored undergraduate research as a high-impact practice and any student who takes a CHEM lab class gains the experience of a course-based undergraduate research experience. Wrapping this in the strength of UNC Asheville's liberal arts education, I couldn't be more proud of what our students can achieve and the national recognition of Grace, Mallory and Blanton as our most recent Goldwater Scholars.”

“I have loved being a GSK Scholar,” Volk said. “I started by shadowing older members of my lab, and I had a lot of fun learning from them. Now, I have my own project, and even though I get thrown some curveballs in my research, I enjoy working with my professor, Dr. Wolfe [Amanda Wolfe, associate professor of chemistry], to improve it and keep it moving in the right direction. It is very gratifying and exciting to make progress in my research.”

Sally Wasileski, chair and professor of chemistry, in the lab with her students.

Volk is also a UNC Asheville Chemistry Scholar, funded by the National Science Foundation; a member of the Honors Program; and has played on the volleyball team since her first year. As part of her major, Volk is researching antibiotic compounds created through bacterial co-culture, isolation and extraction. Volk, who is mentored by Wolfe, then identifies the antibiotic compounds that are produced through bacterial competition. This work has been published with Volk as a co-author, titled, “Advances in antibiotic drug discovery: reducing the barriers for antibiotic development” in Future Medicinal Chemistry (2020).

Even with all her research experience in the Chemistry Department, Volk was still surprised that she had won the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship.

“When I first saw the email that said I had received the scholarship, I honestly thought they had made a mistake or someone was playing a joke on me,” Volk said. “I was very happy I had the professors that I did and the coaches that I do; their support and help is a large part of this scholarship.”

After graduating from UNC Asheville, Volk hopes to pursue a medical degree and become a doctor, and obtain a PhD in biology in order to further her study in the antibiotic resistance of bacteria such as E. coli and S. aureus. “By having both degrees, I will be able to work to find a solution to antibiotic resistance, and I will be able to use my experience in patient care to educate people about the dangers of antibiotic resistance,” Volk said. “Hopefully, this will work to eliminate the problem from both sides of the issue.”

Until then, Volk will continue her work as a GSK Scholar, studying and researching side-by-side with her classmates and professors.

“If anyone is interested in majoring in chemistry at UNCA, I would want to tell them that the struggle is worth the reward. You make friends along the way who are just as nervous as you are to take the toughest class, but you get through it together,” Volk said. “Your professors know you by name and ask how you are when they pass by in the hallways. The education is superior, and the people are even better."

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