April 22, 2008
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Two Western Kentucky University students have received Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships
and two more received honorable mentions.
The recipients of the prestigious national scholarships are Jacob Vervynckt, a junior chemistry and mathematics double major from Plymouth, Ind., and Rachel Wigginton, a junior biology major from Glendale.
The honorable mentions are R. Reagan Gilley, a junior chemistry, biology and history triple major from Pineville, and Joseph Marquardt, a sophomore recombinant genetics major and chemistry minor from Bartlett, Tenn.
All four are members of WKU’s Honors College, the only honors college in Kentucky.
WKU’s two Goldwater Scholars and two honorable mentions led Kentucky colleges and universities. Centre College had two scholarship recipients and one honorable mention while the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University had one scholarship recipient each.
“These awards serve to strengthen our reputation at the national level by providing more evidence for the quality and competitiveness of our students,” said Dr. Kevin Williams, assistant professor of chemistry and WKU’s Goldwater faculty representative. “The receipt of two Goldwaters and two honorable mentions exceeds the productivity at five of the eight Ivy League schools, for example. Only four students can be nominated each year from a university, and it is noteworthy that all four of our nominees received recognition this year.”
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation awarded 321 Goldwater scholarships to sophomores and juniors nationwide this year. The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,035 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities.
Goldwater Scholarships are awarded to outstanding undergraduates desiring a research career in mathematics, natural sciences or engineering. Recipients receive up to $7,500 per year for two years for tuition, books, room and board, and fees.
Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 70 Rhodes Scholarships, 94 Marshall Awards and numerous other distinguished fellowships. More information on the program is available online at http://www.act.org/goldwater.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Kevin Williams at (270) 745-8899.
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