2/13/03

Martha G. Barker,

Juan Carmona

AU STUDENT ON FIRST-TEAM USA TODAY ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

AUBURN -- Juan Carmona, a senior in Auburn University's College of Sciences and Mathematics, has been named to the prestigious USA Today All-USA College Academic First Team, featured in the newspaper's Feb. 13, 2003, edition.

Eleven women and nine men from across the United States were selected for the team, based on academics, leadership, activities and application of their talents beyond the classroom.

"I am honored to receive this national award. This is certainly a joyous moment for my family and for the university," said Carmona, who immigrated with his family from Mexico at age 7, speaking no English. "It is truly humbling to stand alongside the greatest young minds in the country."

His parents, Juan and Elisa Carmona, live in Auburn.

Only the nation's top 20 undergraduates are chosen for the All-USA First Team, demonstrating Carmona's exceptional academic record and accomplishments at Auburn.

"Juan's recognition by USA Today is well deserved for a student who has a passion for his studies that he translated into hard work to admirably meet the challenges of a curriculum in molecular biology," said Stewart Schneller, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics. "We are proud of him."

Carmona has amassed a 3.99 GPA in his major of molecular biology, which is one of the most difficult curriculums at AU. He is also enrolled in the University's Honors College, where he encounters the most rigorous sections of the core curriculum.

Active in a variety of undergraduate research programs, Carmona has worked at the cutting edge of neurobiological and immunological research. For the past three summers, he has participated in stem-cell research programs at Princeton University and epilepsy research at Harvard Medical School. His summer work has given him the opportunity to make presentations at several scientific meetings and co-author other works.

Carmona recently received national recognition for his research on epilespy at Harvard University on how rat brains are altered during hypoxia. He won first place for his poster and was the top cell biology presenter at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in New Orleans, sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Institutes of Health. He was the first student from AU to ever present at the national conference.

While at the conference, Carmona met with several representatives from the nationšs top medical and graduate school programs and interviewed with Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. Carmona has been accepted to Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and Yale University, with interviews still pending at Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ultimately, Carmona hopes to complete his doctorate and pursue a biomedical research career.

"Having been in this position for nearly 12 years, I have gained a perspective to recognize the truly great among the best and Juan Carmona is such a person," said Larry Wit, associate dean of academic affairs for the College of Sciences and Mathematics. "Juan is a mature, capable and self confident individual who has received numerous accolades for his work, including being named twice as a Goldwater Scholar."

Marie Wooten, professor and research mentor, said of Carmona: "Juan not only has the intellect-genius, but he has the unique mix of creativity, talent and leadership that makes him outstanding in any setting."

In addition to being a star student and young scientist, Carmona has also been active in leadership and service roles on Auburn's campus. He has been president of the Golden Key and Tau Sigma National Honor Societies, and he is a member of IMPACT, a student-operated organization that enables students to give back to the community. Carmona has been involved with IMPACT for several years, both as a volunteer, helping the less fortunate in the Auburn-Opelika area, and more recently as assistant director.

"It has truly been an amazing four years at Auburn University and I feel privileged to contribute to this community in my small way," Carmona said.

Carmona is Auburn's eighth student featured on the USA Today All-USA College Academic Team since its inception.

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