Biomedical Engineer Becomes Fourth Rutgers Student to Receive 2008 Gates Scholarship

A 2008 biomedical engineering graduate of Rutgers University has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, joining three fellow graduating students who received the same award in February. With its four winners, Rutgers ties Harvard University for the most Gates scholars from a single university this year.

The Gates Cambridge Scholarships, established in 2000 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, cover all fees and living expenses for a student’s full-time master’s or doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Cambridge is one of the oldest and most esteemed universities in the English-speaking world. Depending on the student’s program of study, a scholarship’s value could exceed $50,000 annually for one to four years.

Rutgers’ latest Gates scholar is Ronn Friedlander of Cranford, N.J., who graduated from the Rutgers School of Engineering May 22 with a 4.0 grade point average in biomedical engineering. His undergraduate studies also included a major in ecology and natural resources.

Friedlander will pursue a Master of Philosophy degree in engineering at Cambridge, where he will study biosensors – electronic devices that can detect biological molecules, such as antibodies or enzymes. Biosensors are gaining ground over traditional laboratory tests to detect diseases or monitor health-related conditions because they can deliver results faster and more economically.

“Like my Rutgers classmates, I originally applied to Cambridge last fall, but the biochemistry program I wanted to join was full,” said Friedlander. In November, he applied to study engineering, which he suspects was too late to be considered among the first round of Gates candidates. “So I was surprised in April when they asked me to interview for the scholarship.”

After completing his master’s program at Cambridge in 2009, Friedlander will begin doctoral studies in health sciences and technology, a joint program of the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has received a National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship to support his studies. He plans to conduct research on the “lab on a chip” concept – a device that could test for several conditions or diseases at once.

At Rutgers, Friedlander has been active in the humanitarian organization “Engineers Without Borders.” This summer, he and some fellow students are traveling to Thailand to begin work on a long-term water purification project.

Friedlander joins Michael Hayoun, Suzanne Pilaar and Brian Spatocco as Rutgers’ 2008 Gates scholars. Rutgers also had a Gates scholar in 2001, the first year the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the scholarships.