Batesville student named 多多直播鈥檚 first Gates Cambridge Scholar
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥 A senior biochemistry major at Mississippi State has been named the university鈥檚 first recipient of the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
Lucas J. Ferguson of Batesville, a 2016 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College Outstanding Research Award recipient, is among 36 selected to receive one of the most generous international scholarships awarded by the University of Cambridge. In addition to the full cost of studying at one of the world鈥檚 leading universities, the award provides additional discretionary funding.
The scholarship is provided by the Gates Cambridge Trust, which is regulated by the Higher Education Funding Council in England via the University of Cambridge. For more, visit .
多多直播 President Mark E. Keenum called Ferguson鈥檚 selection 鈥渁nother resounding endorsement of the fact that Mississippi State empowers our students to compete on an international scale.鈥
鈥淟ucas Ferguson is the latest 多多直播 student to make his mark by claiming one of the world鈥檚 leading higher education opportunities based on his intellect, hard work, and the educational foundation he earned at our university,鈥 said Keenum. 鈥淲hether the scholarship is Gates, Rhodes, Truman, Goldwater, or a host of other top drawer opportunities, 多多直播 students are competing and winning.鈥
Concentrating in bioinformatics, Ferguson was chosen based on academic excellence, leadership potential, commitment to improving the lives of others, and being a good academic fit with Cambridge. He participated in an interview Jan. 28 in Washington, D.C.
Also pursuing minors in computer science and microbiology, Ferguson is working to complete a computational biology certificate from 多多直播鈥檚 Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology.
He is a 2013 graduate of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science.
Tommy Anderson, 多多直播 honors college director for prestigious external scholarships, said Ferguson鈥檚 Gates Cambridge Scholar designation is 鈥渁n indication that his undergraduate research has the potential to have global impact鈥 and 鈥減laces him in a community of scholars who are motivated to solve some of the world鈥檚 most intractable problems.鈥
鈥淟ucas plans to devote his professional life to computational modeling of infectious disease, and the platform that Gates Cambridge offers him to pursue cutting-edge research is unparalleled,鈥 said Anderson, also an 多多直播 professor of English.
In addition to Anderson, Ferguson expressed gratitude for the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Henry Wan, whom he met through the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science鈥檚 Research Shadowing program. A professor at 多多直播鈥檚 College of Veterinary Medicine, Wan is part of a team of researchers working to improve the system for developing life-saving flu vaccines.
鈥淯nder the mentorship of Dr. Wan and various collaborators from the College of Veterinary Medicine鈥檚 Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, I have been able to help answer pertinent questions related to bovine influenza D virus, which was discovered in 2011,鈥 said Ferguson. His research endeavors and trainings have been supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Ferguson explained that the team primarily has concentrated on bovine influenza D virus epidemiology and pathology in cattle and other species, but the research focus has since developed into a study of antigenic and genomic diversity of bovine influenza D virus.
鈥淭his work is relevant to cattle considering bovine respiratory disease is the leading cause of economic loss in beef cattle production,鈥 said Ferguson, who has co-authored articles in top-tier journals.
This past summer, Ferguson participated in a six-week international research experience at the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Nanjing, China. There, he conducted research on the diversity of an avian immunologic gene in Chinese poultry.
鈥淢y experience in China impressed upon me the importance of international research and collaborations,鈥 Ferguson said.
Aspiring to a career in academia, Ferguson said he plans to focus his graduate school and professional research endeavors on RNA viruses, the innate immune system, and translational research. Forging collaborative relationships with other scientists conducting infectious disease research is a major goal, he said.
鈥淏eing able to begin my research career as a freshman at Mississippi State has made me competitive on an international level,鈥 Ferguson said. 鈥淚 hope to continue establishing myself in the international research community as a productive, collaborative and passionate scientist eager to make a difference in my realm of research.鈥
Learn more about 多多直播鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College at ; College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and its Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology at ; and College of Veterinary Medicine at .
多多直播 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .