NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – Two University of Oklahoma students have been named 2025 Astronaut Scholars through the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which provided 74 undergraduate students from 51 universities and colleges across the United States with scholarships up to $15,000. Brooke Rogachuk, an aerospace engineering senior, and Annelise Huynh, a chemical biosciences and music performance senior, are the only recipients from Oklahoma.
Brooke Rogachuk
Rogachuk, who was also selected as an Astronaut Scholar in 2024, became only the second OU student to be selected in back-to-back years. She was also recently named a 2025 Goldwater Scholar. Her undergraduate research has focused on sustainable aviation, and she currently works on sustainable aviation fuel implementation for Boom Supersonic.
“Being an Astronaut Scholar has given me connections that will help me throughout my career. Not only did I get a mentor that helped me land my job at Boom Supersonic, but I’ve made friends with so many people that I can reach out to when I need them,” she said.
She credits the opportunity to conduct her own undergraduate research through the Gallogly College of Engineering as a major reason why she was selected two years in a row.
“A lot of my fellow scholars can’t say that they’ve developed their own methodology or developed their own research study. It’s been really amazing to work in Dr. Dai’s lab and study materials science. It’s something that I don’t think I would have been able to do if I had gone anywhere else but OU,” she said.
Annelise Huynh
Huynh, a National Merit Scholar with career ambitions to become a physician-scientist, is currently interning at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Like Rogachuk, she too sees the importance of mentorship.
“A lot of the opportunities that I’ve had are because someone else has shown me what’s possible. That’s why the Astronaut Scholarship stuck out to me. It also reaches students who want to make a difference in their field and make the world a better place,” she said.
Since her freshman year, Huynh has worked on cancer studies in Nagib Ahsan and Zhibo Yang’s lab and the OU Health Science Center.
“It’s been really exciting to work on such demanding research, especially since we get to work with real patient samples. That gets me closer to the clinic side and actively helping those in need,” she said. “A lot of my research has been guided by patient outcomes. Ensuring my research decisions are guided towards patient outcomes has been a really rewarding experience.
Astronaut Scholarships are awarded to students in their junior and senior year of college studying science, technology, engineering, or mathematics with the intent to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final
About the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) is an Orlando-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit commemorating the legacy of America’s pioneering astronauts. Founded in 1984 by the six surviving Mercury 7 Astronauts, ASF partners with industry leaders, universities and individual donors to support and reward exceptional college students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Over the past 40 years, more than $10 million has been awarded to over 900 college students. ASF is a four-star rated organization by Charity Navigator.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
For 50 years, the Murray Case Sells Swim Complex, operated by OU Fitness and Recreation, has been more than just a pool; it has been a place where students and community members have learned life skills, found belonging and created memories that last well beyond graduation. In 2025, the university will celebrate 50 years since the swim complex expanded to serve both the campus and community with its full aquatics program.
Two early career researchers were recently awarded grants from the Oak Ridge Associated Universities organization of $10,000 each. Elizabeth Zumpe, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, will study outcomes in educational research, and Shuozhi Xu, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Gallogly College of Engineering, will study high-performance structural materials capable of withstanding extreme environments. Zumpe and Xu were selected from 164 applications representing 91 member institutions.
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