Biology major Sara Jackrel ’10 and mathematics major Glen Wilson ’10 were awarded the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarships for the 2009–2010 academic year. A total of 278 scholarships were awarded to undergraduate sophomores and juniors from the United States, and only six recipients were from New Jersey Institutions.
The Goldwater scholarship awards a maximum of $7,500 per year, to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board.
Don Lovett, professor of biology and Goldwater Scholarship faculty representative, stated that in the past 10 years, nine TCNJ students have been recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship.
Recently awarded the 2009 Morris K. Udall Scholarship, Jackrel is currently studying rainforest ecosystems in Australia. Wilson is studying math at Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität in Germany.
The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,097 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on November 14, 1986. The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate, was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.
By awarding these scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields, it helps provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers.