Roane State Community College

December 3, 2024

Roane State alum Harrison Wade will be furthering his educational and research career after receiving one of the most prestigious undergraduate STEM scholarships in the country this past spring.

The Goldwater Scholarship was established by Congress in 1986 to honor the lifetime work of Senator Barry Goldwater. It is awarded to college students who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

“I am completely lost for words, and I still don’t believe I’ve fully processed it,” Wade said of the honor.

Wade graduated from Roane State in the spring of 2023, where he earned a spot on the President's List, a Freshman Chemistry Award, and participated in the college's annual Southwest Field Trip.

He is still involved at Roane State, currently serving as a chemistry tutor and mentor to provide extra support for his fellow Raiders. He’s also enrolled at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) where he is double majoring in psychology and neuroscience.

Wade has a unique background from being a two-time college dropout to a now nationally recognized scholar. During the ups and downs of his early life, Wade said he experienced immense personal growth once he found a therapist who supported him.

Coupled with sustaining multiple concussions in his life, these events sparked a fascination with the human brain and ultimately propelled him to study neurological conditions. Wade is researching Alzheimer’s disease alongside top UTK professors and graduate students in the Prosser lab.

With collaborators at New Mexico State University and the Baker Bioanalysis Lab, Wade and team have designed and optimized a novel microfluidic device. They’ve been using it to study the acute initial effects of the two proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our hope is that if we are able to identify what may be occurring at the initial stages of Alzheimer’s, then someone else will hopefully be able to design a diagnostic method based on our findings where diagnosis can happen as early as possible,” Wade explained.

Early diagnosis is vital since Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease with irreversible neurodegeneration. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there are treatments that slow the progression.

“Winning the Goldwater Scholarship is a testament to his persistence and hard work,” said Dr. Sylvia Pastor, associate professor of chemistry at Roane State and Wade’s former teacher.

“[Harrison] is why I always encourage students to try again because everyone isn’t ready for college right out of high school. The path to success is not always a straight path. Success can take winding roads, include restarts, and be a rollercoaster,” Dr. Pastor added. “Seeing Harrison reach this height is exhilarating!”

Wade is expected to graduate next fall. He hopes to continue to research neurological conditions with biological focuses and further investigate cellular functions and chemical interactions.

Wade is one of just three students to receive the Goldwater Scholarship this past spring at the University of Tennessee. More information is available in this UTK news article.