Benjamin Catalano wins honorable mention from Goldwater Foundation

2017 Jul 6

Benjamin Catalano has been awarded an honorable mention from the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program.

Catalano, who will be a fourth-year chemistry major at the Rochester Institute of Technology, was recognized based on academic merit.

The Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program is the premier award for undergraduates pursuing degrees in mathematics, science, or engineering, and encourages outstanding students to pursue research careers. The foundation, this year, selected 240 scholars and 307 honorable mentions from 1,286 nominees from 2,000 U.S. colleges and universities.

Catalano conducts nanomaterials spectroscopy research with John David Rocha, assistant professor in RIT’s School of Chemistry and Materials Science. Catalano analyzes possible viable structures for boron and carbon nanomaterials using computational modeling and studying Gaussian and boron nanomaterial reaction pathways. He has participated in a National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates programs at the University of Michigan in the Kotav Center for Photonic and Multiscale Nanomaterials. He presented his research findings at the University of Michigan and at RIT summer undergraduate research symposia. Catalano is a member of the RIT Chemistry Research Scholars, the RIT Honors Program and RIT Concert Band and a past recipient of the First Year Achievement Award in Chemistry. He plans to earn a Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry.