Biology Student Faith Yost Wins Top STEM Research Award

A 19-year-old biology student is proving you don't have to wait until grad school to make real scientific breakthroughs.

Faith Yost, a sophomore at Villanova University, has been named a 2026 Goldwater Scholar, the most prestigious national award for undergraduates pursuing research careers in science and math. She's one of just a few hundred students selected nationwide from thousands of applicants.

What makes Yost stand out isn't just her grades. It's where her work has taken her and what she's discovered along the way.

As a first-year student, Yost jumped straight into research with Villanova biology professors, measuring coastal wetland plants and analyzing soil samples in Pennsylvania and Florida. By her first summer, she earned a research fellowship to study how fungi help mangrove trees survive in harsh coastal environments.

Her findings broke new ground. Yost became the first researcher to integrate a specific type of beneficial fungi into Florida's black mangrove ecosystems, work that could help protect these critical coastal habitats from climate change.

The accolades followed quickly. She won first place at a national research competition for her microscopic images of the fungi, which judges called beautiful enough to be art.

But Yost wasn't done exploring. She spent a semester in the Galapagos Islands studying pollinators, designed wildlife safety exhibits, and volunteered in forest management. Back in Pennsylvania, she's worked with the state Game Commission handling black bears and waterfowl, and now interns at Elmwood Park Zoo teaching visitors about conservation.

This summer, she'll study biodiversity with the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust. Her next big goal? Researching invasive wild pigs threatening marsh ecosystems, then earning a PhD in tropical conservation biology at the University of Hawaii.

The Ripple Effect

Yost's research on mangrove fungi isn't just academic exercise. Mangrove forests protect coastlines from storms, filter water, and support countless marine species. Understanding how to strengthen these ecosystems could help communities from Florida to the Philippines better withstand climate impacts.

Her work with the Pennsylvania Game Commission contributes directly to habitat management decisions affecting thousands of acres of state forests. Every data point she collects helps wildlife managers make smarter choices about protecting native species.

And through her zoo internship and educational exhibits, Yost is translating complex science into messages that inspire everyday people to care about conservation. She's creating more environmental advocates with every visitor she teaches.

University Provost Patrick Maggitti called Yost "a true Villanova researcher, harnessing her intellectual curiosity and passion for conservation science to ignite change for the common good." Her professors note that students like her, who dive into fieldwork early and often, develop the real-world skills that textbooks can't teach.

Yost's journey shows what happens when curiosity meets opportunity and a young scientist refuses to wait her turn to make a difference.