Alexa Magstadt - 2024 Goldwater Scholarship Nominee

Alexa Magstadt, from Shawnee, is the daughter of Dave and Amy Magstadt and a graduate of Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. Magstadt is majoring in molecular, cellular & developmental biology and minoring in Spanish. She aspires to earn a medical degree and doctorate and become a physician-scientist in the field of medical oncology and drug design. Magstadt currently conducts research in the Dixon Cancer Prevention Lab under the direction of Dr. Dan Dixon, investigating the effect of small-molecule KRAS inhibition on colorectal cancer. Magstadt has presented her research at the University of Kansas Cancer Center’s Research Week Symposium. Previously, she served as a 2023 summer intern at KU Medical Center, interpreting patient data and entering records into a clinical trial database in the Department of Radiation Oncology, and from 2022 to 2023, she participated in the Baer Soil Ecology Lab. Magstadt is a member of the KU Waterski Team, leads the Center for Community Outreach’s Jaypaws program and serves as an ambassador for the KU Honors Program. She is also a University Scholar as well as the recipient of a 2024 KU Undergraduate Research Award and the BioScholarship, awarded to 1-4 incoming freshmen based on academic achievement and interest in the biological sciences.

More information about Alexa!

• A fun fact about Alexa is she loves to waterski and competes in tournaments throughout the Midwest as a member of the KU Club Waterski Team.
• Her favorite KU memory was beating K-State at Allen Fieldhouse last year.
• Her favorite study spot is her desk at her research lab in Haworth.
• She's looking forward to attending a conference in San Diego for the American Association of Cancer Research in April 2024!