Two students named 2025 Goldwater Scholars
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Creighton continues its distinction as a Goldwater Scholar-producing Catholic university, having recently announced two additional award recipients in 2025.
This year’s Creighton Goldwater Scholars are Hannah Pflum (right above), a neuroscience major and studio art minor with a focus in sculpting, and Kaylen Lathrum (left above), an American Chemical Society certified chemistry major, on the biochemistry track with a math minor.
During the past 20 years, Creighton has led Catholic universities as a recipient of Goldwater honors.
In the past decade, 18 Creighton students have been named Goldwater scholars. Since 2005, Creighton has been awarded 34 Goldwater Scholarships.
The Goldwater Scholarship is one of the nation’s most respected academic awards for STEM researchers. Established by the U.S. Congress in 1986, it is named after Senator Barry Goldwater to honor his exemplary service to his country. The scholarship is awarded to college sophomores and juniors who are pursuing research careers in natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.
“As a Goldwater Scholar, I will be part of a select national group of undergraduates who have shown that they have the passion and skills to pursue a career in research,” says Pflum. “The program itself gives financial assistance to students and mentorship to help guide us through the process of getting into graduate school, helping us to build connections in our fields of interest.”
This year, 441 students nationwide were selected to receive the award from an estimated pool of 5,000 college sophomores and juniors.
For Erin Gross, PhD, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Creighton’s Goldwater representative for the past nine years, the university’s success in research is straightforward. “Creighton attracts high-achieving students with interests in performing undergraduate research,” says Gross, adding that what sets Creighton apart is its focus on undergraduate research, with connections to research in graduate and professional programs. Here, students collaborate not only with faculty conducting cutting-edge research but also with graduate-level researchers.
As a Goldwater Scholar, I will be part of a select national group of undergraduates who have shown that they have the passion and skills to pursue a career in research.
— Hannah Pflum, 2025 Goldwater Scholar
Creighton has made a significant investment in undergraduate research through the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURAS), Gross explains, providing students “access to research in all areas (science, social science, humanities, etc.) as well as the health sciences.” Students also gain access to summer scholarship programs and faculty-supported research grants.
Both Pflum and Lathrum took advantage of these opportunities early in their academic careers, participating in immersive summer research experiences.
As an Institutional Development Award Program Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence scholar, Pflum spent a summer in Creighton’s School of Medicine with Kristen Drescher, PhD, and now conducts neuroscience research in Annemarie Shibata’s, PhD, lab. “My family has a history of neurodevelopmental disorders, so I became fascinated with how the brain works and changes over time,” Pflum shares. Her interest in neuroimmunology—specifically, immune responses in the brain—was sparked by the pandemic.
These research opportunities were a key factor in her decision to attend Creighton. “Hannah came to Creighton with the express purpose of becoming a Goldwater Scholar and future neuroscientist,” says Shibata. “She demonstrates academic excellence, consistently engages in experimentation and produces high-quality data. She is well on her way to reaching her second goal of becoming a successful neuroscientist!”
Lathrum’s research journey at Creighton began in her freshman year with encouragement from her mentor, Gabriel Rivera, PhD. When she decided to transition to a lab focusing on organic chemistry synthesis, she was met with support, ultimately joining James Fletcher’s, PhD, lab and working there since the summer of 2024.
“Dr. Rivera supported the beginning of my interest and helped through my first experiences in research, including my first poster presentation,” Lathrum says. “Last summer, Dr. Fletcher’s mentorship and advice were crucial for my career discernment; I feel that I have not only gained the practical skills but also the confidence in myself that will benefit my future as a scientist.”
Lathrum’s passion for organic synthesis stems from a desire to make a tangible impact. “The real-world application of my project is interesting since antimicrobial resistance is a relevant issue,” she says.
This summer, Dr. Fletcher’s mentorship and advice was crucial for my career discernment; I feel that I have not only gained the practical skills but also the confidence in myself that will benefit my future as a scientist.
— Kaylen Lathrum, 2025 Goldwater Scholar
Her study, “Antiseptic Salts from Isoquinoline-Substituted 1,2,3-Triazoles,” has reached graduate-level complexity, according to Fletcher. “Kaylen has discovered some new compounds that unexpectedly also showed antibacterial properties,” he says. “This was a unique discovery for us, and it has turned into a new project of its own that will impact Kaylen as well as future students that follow her in my lab.”
Beyond her competency, intelligence, responsibility and efficiency in the lab, Fletcher attributes part of Lathrum’s success to her character: “Kaylen is a genuinely kind and humble person.”
Pflum’s research focuses on how the RNA molecule, Nostrill, affects brain immune cells (microglia) in diseases like multiple sclerosis. In her research, she uses lab-grown microglial cells and other research models to mimic viral infections. She also uses these models to explore whether creatinine, a natural compound, can help reduce inflammation in the gut microbiome.
To Pflum, research extends beyond academic or career growth—it’s about building community while working to improve life for the greater good. She describes the labs of her mentors, Drescher and Shibata, as supportive and welcoming environments. “They foster a community of learning and growth within their labs,” she says, adding that their labs are a fun environment that feel like a second home. “This gave me the confidence to apply to programs like Goldwater,” Pflum continues.
She is a stand-out in the lab, too, according to her mentor Dreschner. “Hannah has a laser focus...I have seldom dealt with a student—undergraduate or graduate—who understands that research is not always a series of ‘wins,’” she explains. “Most experiments fail—being able to persevere through is key, and Hannah can work past that without being discouraged, a trait that Dr. Shibata instilled in her.”
Looking ahead, Pflum hopes to earn her PhD in neuroimmunology, conducting research in neurodegenerative disorders and increasing the understanding of neuroimmunology, as well as teaching at an academic institution. She’s already started to mentor and guide younger students as an attached tutor for the biology course ‘Cell Structure and Function’ and a decurion for Creighton’s Ratio Studiorum Program, an advising course for first-year students.
Lathrum shares similar aspirations, aiming to become a professor at a primarily undergraduate institution where she can teach in the classroom and in the research lab. “I believe these aspirations have been influenced by my positive undergraduate research experience,” she says. “I feel honored to receive a Goldwater, and I believe that the competitiveness of this award will be very beneficial to my graduate school application and future endeavors.”
