Senior Maria Torres was presented with the fourth annual Gopi Podila Memorial Scholarship at a ceremony held yesterday by the Department of Biological Sciences at UAH. Named for the late Dr. Gopi Podila, the $1000 scholarship is sponsored by the Partnership for Biotechnology Research (PBR), of which Dr. Podila was a founding member. It is awarded each year to an undergraduate student in the biological sciences who exemplifies the scholarship's three criteria: academic performance, service to the department, and a demonstrated interest in biological research. This year, two students - Torres and fellow senior Garrett Dunn - were nominated. "It was a very close vote, as always," says Dr. Debra Moriarity, Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. "Both of them have a 4.0 grade average, both are double majors in biology and chemistry, and both are very involved in research, so the faculty had trouble choosing between them."