All four Johns Hopkins students nominated by the university for 2014 Goldwater Scholarships have been selected to receive the prestigious honor.
The merit-based award supports undergraduates who show exceptional promise for a research career in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and is often considered a "gateway" award to highly competitive STEM-field graduate fellowships ahead.
"Given the strength of STEM students on our campus, selecting our nominees is a rigorous exercise," says Kelly Barry, director of the university's National Fellowships Program. "The Goldwater recognizes potential for a research career, and the university allows students to begin realizing that potential rapidly. It's a boon when our nominees emerge as winners."
This year's recipients and their current class years are as follows.
Jorge Menendez, a senior from Maryland, is a cognitive science major in Arts and Sciences whose interests are in computational cognitive science; he is also a classical guitar major at Peabody. After completing his dual degree, Menendez plans to pursue a doctorate to conduct research in computational cognitive science and teach at the university level.
Andrew Griswold, a senior from Massachusetts, is a chemistry major in Arts and Sciences whose career goal is to pursue an MD/PhD and conduct small-molecule drug design research at a medical institution. Ryan Patterson, a senior from New Jersey, is studying neuroscience and molecular/cellular biology in the School of Arts and Sciences and intends to pursue a doctorate in neuroscience. His goal is to conduct research in plasticity/neurogenesis and neurodegenerative disorders to help develop treatments for Alzheimer's disease.
Ivan Kuznetsov, a junior from North Carolina, delved into research in high school and was awarded a Westgate Scholarship upon admission to the Whiting School of Engineering, where he is majoring in biomedical engineering and applied mathematics. He plans to pursue an MD/PhD in biomedical engineering with a focus on biomechatronics and then conduct translational research and teach at the university level.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Sen. Barry Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate. Its goal is to provide the country with a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue research careers in these fields.
Universities are allowed to nominate only four undergraduates a year.
The campus process for nominating Goldwater applicants begins during the fall semester. For information, go to http://web.jhu.edu/scholarships/listing/goldwater.
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