HTC students recognized for Goldwater scholarships
Sophomore Keith Hawkins named Goldwater scholar
April 6, 2011
The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that Keith Hawkins has been named as a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship this year. Additionally, Ethan Cottrill and Sarah Wyss have been named as Honorable Mention recipients. The Goldwater is for sophomores and juniors interested in careers in science, math and engineering. Students are judged based on academic achievement, research experience and their articulation of their career goals. Scholars receive up to $7,500 per year of the award (sophomores receive it for two years, juniors for one). This scholarship is one of the most elite undergraduate awards for students in the mathematics, science, and technology fields.
Keith Hawkins is a sophomore in the Honors Tutorial College majoring in Astrophysics. His future plan is to obtain a Ph.D. in Astrophysics with an emphasis on galaxy group evolution. During graduate school he hopes to work on a thesis project related to the evolution of the intracluster medium in compact groups of galaxies. He also plans to actively pursue outreach promoting science in local high schools and middle schools by mentoring local students. Keith’s mentors for this application were Joe Shields (Physics), Markus Boettcher (Physics), and Simon Schuler (National Optical Astronomy Observatory, PostDoctoral Researcher).
Ethan Cottrill is a Cutler Scholar and sophomore in HTC, majoring in Chemistry. Ethan’s academic goal is to earn a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry with a focus on photochemistry, conduct research and teach at the university level. Ethan’s mentors for his application were Jeff Rack (Chemistry and Biochemistry), Mark McMills (Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Lauren McMills (Chemistry and Biochemistry).
Sarah Wyss is a sophomore in HTC majoring in Biological Sciences. Sarah’s future academic plan is to pursue a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, conduct research in biosynthetic and genetic engineering, and eventually teach at the university level. Her current area of interest is the genetic engineering of microbes for paratransgenic systems or for biosynthesis of medically relevant compounds. Sarah’s mentors for this application were Joe Shields (Physics), Soichi Tanda (Biological Sciences) and Annabeth Fieck (University of New Mexico School of Medicine).
This year's competition was particularly intense--for example, the only other state institution in Ohio to receive a Goldwater Scholarship was Ohio State University. Miami University had no Scholars and 1 Honorable Mention. As Brandon Bute, the Director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards states, “Competition for this and many other awards is escalating dramatically.”
To apply for the Goldwater Scholarship, students must first be nominated by the University. For further information on the nomination procedure, visit the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards website or contact Brandon Bute at 740.597.1632 or via email at buteb@ohio.edu.