SW New Mexico News

New Mexico State University student Molly Streich has become the university’s first recipient of the DAAD-RISE award from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, or German Academic Exchange Service. The RISE program offers research internships for students in STEM fields.

Streich, a junior majoring in biochemistry with a minor in German, will spend the summer in Munich, Germany, on a research internship focused on the cellular physiology and molecular pathology of an Alzheimer risk gene.

Streich expressed her surprise and excitement upon receiving this award. Despite the competitive nature of the program, which only funds 13% of its applicant pool, she received her first choice of lab placements. Streich credited her undergraduate research work in Chemistry and Biochemistry Associate Professor Christopher Baker’s Bioanalysis Lab at NMSU for providing her with valuable lab experience and insight into the research process.

“I wanted an international lab experience as well as what it is like to live abroad, and the DAAD provided the perfect opportunity,” Streich said.

NMSU’s Fellowships Office is housed in the William Conroy Honors College but supports all NMSU students interested in applying for competitive fellowship programs. Andrea Orzoff, associate professor of history and director of the Fellowships Office, praised Streich's achievement.

“She’s a credit to the College of Arts and Sciences and to NMSU,” Orzoff said.

The DAAD funds programs for undergraduate study, research, and internships in Germany. In their internships, students are carefully matched with doctoral students and researchers who serve as mentors. The goal is to promote exchanges to Germany in natural science, engineering, and life sciences.

For more information on fellowships, visit https://honors.nmsu.edu/scholarships/index.html or contact Orzoff at aorzoff@nmsu.edu.