Keefe is developing open source QIIME 2 plugins for analysis of the gut microbiome in 3xTg-AD mice. The goal is for these computational methods to help answer key questions in ecology and human health. Those methods can then be applied in new research and potentially shared as free and open software tools to multiply their impact. The Goldwater Scholarship Program, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the United States, seeks to identify and support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this Nation’s next generation of research leaders in these fields.The characteristics the Foundation seeks in a Goldwater Scholar include:
• Strong commitment to a research career in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering,
• Effective display of intellectual intensity in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, and
• Potential for a significant future contribution to research in his/her chosen field.