Maia Clare

2020 Astronaut Scholar

Hometown

Glenshaw, PA

Major

Genetics

College

College of Science

Maia Clare was awarded the Astronaut Scholarship in recognition of her promising undergraduate research in genetics. Maia is working towards genetically-based, targeted disease treatments.   

Maia has been involved in research at Purdue University since her second year, working in Dr. Matthew Olson’s lab for Biological Sciences and Cancer Research. At Purdue, she was a research scholar for the National Science Foundation-funded Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. In addition, she was selected for a summer internship in the lab of Professor Cédric Feschotte at Cornell University studying the evolution of retroviruses. Maia’s experimental work has already uncovered important biology about how pathogenic immune cells develop in live subjects. According to her professors, these findings have implications for how allergies and other inflammatory diseases can be effectively treated in the future.  

In addition to her impressive research, Maia has been heavily involved in two Purdue organizations (the BoilerMentor Multicultural Science Program and the Women in Science Mentor Program) and headed the Purdue Association of Multicultural Science Students as president of the organization for two years.