The following is a spotlight profile on Madelyn Hoying, one of Duquesne University's two nominees for the prestigous NCAA Woman of the Year award. The Atlantic 10 had 15 institutional nominees for the award (READ MORE). Each weekday until July 22, the Atlantic 10 will profile one of the institutional nominees.
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SNAPSHOT
Sport: Swimming & Diving
Major: Biomedical Engineering/Physics
Minor: Mathematics
Hometown: Groselle, Mich.
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Madelyn Hoying
PROFILE
Madelyn Hoying not only helped Duquesne Women’s Swimming & Diving to two consecutive Atlantic 10 championship titles, but she did it while double majoring in biomedical engineering and physics and graduating Magna Cum Laude. She will continue her studies in bioastronautics at MIT and Harvard University. Her studies and lab research led her to an internship at Langley Research Center and volunteer work at the Virginia Air and Space Center to educate young women about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). It was during this time, Hoying discovered her desire to be an astronaut. She started and led five teams to address NASA design challenges taking the lead on three published papers and winning several awards for her work. She also used her work to teach STEM at local schools in Pittsburgh. She also interned with the C.I.A. Beyond her studies, research, and athletics, Hoying founded FosterRec, a foundation that gives kids in unusual family situations access to athletic opportunities, founded and led the Duquesne student chapter of Doctors Without Borders, became a member of the Space Generation Advisory Council, peer mentored other STEM majors and professionals, was an executive board member of the Society of Women Engineers, and was an active member of the student fan section “Red and Blue Crew” at Duquesne.
STORIES
PITTSBURGH MAGAZINE FEATURE: For This Swimmer, the Sky's the Limit
TRENTON TRIB FEATURE: Shooting for the Stars – Former Valedictorian Keeps Aiming Higher
DUKES FROM A DISTANCE FEATURE: Madelyn Hoying
Q&A WITH MADELYN
What was the hardest obstacle you faced as a student-athlete?
Time management - I knew I wanted to do research in a lab, do two STEM majors, and swim in college. I didn’t realize just how hard it would be to make the different schedules work well enough for that to happen. Luckily, [Duquesne Swim Coach] Dave [Sheets] and my academic advisors were willing to work with me to find class and practice times to make it possible, so I didn’t have to pick between academics and athletics.
If You Could Know the Absolute and Total Truth to One Question, What Question Would You Ask?
What’s inside a black hole?
What is one thing you would go back and do differently if you could?
I would get started working in a lab right away, instead of waiting for when I got to college. I took time to get comfortable with my classes and my swim schedule before adding more commitments, but if I could do it over again, I would hit the ground running on research because that’s what I enjoyed the most.
What hard goals have you set and/or accomplished?
I wanted to get into a Ph.D. program in bioastronautics. There are so few programs available in the field, and they are difficult to get into. I was able to accomplish this goal and will be starting in the MEMP program at MIT and Harvard in the fall.
What are three words your teammates would use to describe you, and why?
I asked my teammates for help answering this, and here are their common responses:
-- hardworking, because of the rigor of my academic and athletic programs
-- determined, because everything I do is to get closer to my goal of becoming an astronaut
-- passionate, because of how much I truly enjoy everything involving space.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
During my junior year, I led a team that worked on the NASA RASC-AL Challenge. We ended up winning Best in Theme for our satellite design to study space radiation. It was an interdisciplinary team that involved several of my Swim and Dive teammates, but no aerospace engineers, as that is not an available major at Duquesne. Even without a background in aerospace, we were able to put together a strong enough proposal and presentation to win.
What are the top three things on your bucket list?
Go to space :)
Do research in the Amazon rainforest
Go scuba diving in the Arctic.