Samantha Cronier Grabs the Gold Ring at the Annual C-Ring Banquet

In days gone by, grabbing the gold ring on a carousel meant you won a free ride. Graduating senior Samantha Cronier has had quite a ride at the University of Cincinnati, culminating in her receiving the coveted C-Ring Award.

The C-Ring Award, given annually to an outstanding graduating woman, was presented May 14 to Samantha Cronier, a double major from Guilford, Ind. Samantha’s activities would more than fill the lives of two undergraduates. After graduating from East Central High School in St. Leon (Dearborn County), she came to UC to major in both biomedical engineering and mathematics. Why both?

“I like them both,” says Samantha. “BME was my original major, and it requires quite a few math classes. When I had completed the requirements, I missed math! So I decided to take a few more, and then a few more, and eventually it just seemed silly not to get a second major.”

C-Ring Award winner Samantha Cronier

Despite or because of the challenging load, Samantha carries a 3.9 GPA and has been on the Dean’s list every quarter. In his nomination of Samantha, Edward Grood — professor and director of undergraduate studies in biomedical engineering — noted that her grade point average is one of the highest in the college. She has been accepted into the graduate programs at University of California at both Berkeley and San Diego. Samantha intends to go to Berkeley to earn her PhD in bioengineering. After that, she’s not sure if she will go into industry or academia.

At UC, Samantha participated in Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), a program to give female undergraduates research experience while at the university. She has conducted biotechnology research in Japan and in two departments at UC — on two different campuses — in the College of Medicine and the McMicken College of Arts & Sciences. After Samantha Cronier graduates, another Cronier will arrive at UC. Her younger sister, Brigitte, starts in the fall as an industrial design major.

“Samantha is widely respected by her peers as a leader,” Grood noted in the nomination. “She has also helped recruit women into engineering, math and science by participating in UC’s program for middle-school girls.”

Samantha received many scholarships and awards while at UC, including the Cincinnatus and Herman Schneider Engineering scholarships, as well as a prestigious AIEJ grant for study under the Nagoya University Program for Academic Exchange (NUPACE). Each year the Association of International Education, Japan (AIEJ) offers scholarships under the “Short-term Student Exchange Promotion Program.” In 2004, AIEJ allocated only 48 such scholarships to NUPACE participants.

While in Japan on co-op, Samantha conducted research at Toyobo, a biotechnology laboratory, for six months. (Toyobo is one of Japan’s top fiber manufacturers and manufactures fiber membranes for artificial organs, among many other products.) After completing her co-op in Japan, Samantha is fluent in oral Japanese (and French) and hopes to learn Arabic or Hindi next. Being multilingual fits in with her plans for the immediate future: travel.

“I’m going to Tahiti this summer,” Samantha says. “And as soon as I have time and money, I want to go pretty much everywhere.”

With her drive and talents, Samantha Cronier will have no problem getting there!

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