West Virginia Universitys Emily Calandrelli has a goal of leading and designing future missions to the moon, while Andrew Higgins plans to conduct research on spintronics and teach at the university level. Both are recipients of the 2009-10 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.
Were very proud of our two most recent scholars,said Keith Garbutt, dean of the Honors College.This brings WVU to 32 Goldwaters Scholars over the time this scholarship has been in existence.
Among land-grant universities, WVU is one of the leaders in students being named Goldwater Scholars year after year.
We see them in the company of students from some of the academically elite institutions in the country,Garbutt said.When youre chosen as a Goldwater, youre one of the best young scientists in the nation.
Calandrelli and Higgins are among 278 college students nationwide who received Goldwater Scholarships. They were selected based on academic merit and were nominated by WVU faculty.
The one- or two-year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 a year.
In addition to Calandrelli and Higgins, Samuel Crowell and Mary Underwood received honorable mentions from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship committee. All four seniors are in WVU s Honors College.
Students at West Virginia University are capable and able to achieve any national scholarship to which they aspire,said Lisa DeFrank-Cole, director of WVU s ASPIRE office,and we hope to give them the information and coach them along the way. However, it is truly our students at West Virginia University who win these awards under the mentoring of outstanding faculty members.
A 2008 Truman Scholar, Calandrelli, of Morgantown, is majoring in aerospace and mechanical engineering. She is a member of WVU s Microgravity Research Team, which was chosen to fly and conduct an experiment on the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations C-9,Weightless Wonderlast summer. She is the second WVU student in the past three years to receive Truman and Goldwater scholarshipsan unusual accomplishment to win both.
Higgins, of Grafton, is majoring in physics and mathematics. He has spent the past two years studying spintronics at WVU with the help of his research adviser. The goal of his research is to find a way in which standard electronic memory devices can be replaced with smaller, more energy-efficient devices.
A native of Martinsburg, Crowell is majoring in biology and chemistry and would like to earn a doctorate in molecular biology and genetics. He wants to conduct research on the genetic engineering of food crops and teach at the university level.
Underwood, of Mineral Wells, is majoring in physics and mathematics with a long-term goal of earning a doctorate in physics. She would like to conduct research on solid state theoretical physics and also hopes to teach at the university level.
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established in 1986. The program honoring Sen. Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
News of the Universitys Goldwater Scholars comes just a few days after the announcement of WVU s 20th Truman Scholar. Senior John Armour of Morgantown is majoring in management information systems and English and wants to work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (To view a video of the surprise scholarship announcement, go to http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/news/page/7617/ ).
In addition to 32 Goldwater Scholars, WVU has produced 25 Rhodes Scholars, 20 Truman Scholars, five members of USA Todays All-USA College Academic First Team, two Udall Scholarship winners, two British Marshall Scholars and one Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholar.