 |
 |
|
Please send comments,
questions, and suggestions
about Oberlin Online news
and feature articles to
online.news@oberlin.edu.
FOUR OBERLIN COLLEGE STUDENTS NAMED 2003-2004 GOLDWATER SCHOLARS
APRIL 22, 2003---Four Oberlin College students have been named 2003-2004 Goldwater Scholars, the premier undergraduate award of its type in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.
Ian Biringer ‘04, mathematics major from Appleton, Wisconsin; Chris Macklin ’04, psychology and neuroscience major from Albuquerque, New Mexico; Erik Talvitie ’04, computer science and mathematics double major from Glenside, Pennsylvania; and Keith Hanson ’05, biochemistry/neuroscience double major from Greencastle, Indiana are among 300 undergraduates chosen nationwide by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.
The Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,093 mathematics, science, and engineering students nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The one and two year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.
Four is the maximum number of students that an institution may nominate. With four nominees, Oberlin racked up a first this year, topping the previous high of three in 2000. The College also is among only two colleges and ten universities, including Harvard and Princeton, to have four winners.
For his Goldwater project Biringer examined alternatives to Devaney's definition of mathematical chaos in discrete dynamical systems. This summer he says he will participate in REU, a National Science Foundation research program for undergraduates, at Oregon State University, probably studying geometric tomography. He hopes to do an honors project in topology his senior year. His career plans include teaching mathematics at the university level.
Macklin is working with Lynn Bianchi, associate professor of neuroscience, on a study of possible growth factors released by the inner ear during development, and with Michael Loose, associate professor of neuroscience studying the effect of serotonin on the activity of neurons in the pond snail.
This summer Macklin will be working in two neuroscience labs at the University of New Mexico in immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy and in situ hybridization. After graduation, he plans to pursue graduate studies in neuroscience and explore his interests in hearing and/or memory at both a cellular and behavioral level.
Talvitie’s most recent science project was a continuation of a programming project he began his first winter term involving a simulation of flocking behavior in birds or fish. This summer he will be serve as an intern at the Santa Fe Institute, a multidisciplinary institution devoted to studying complex systems.
"Next year," he says, "I hope to pursue honors in computer science studying cellular automata. After graduation I hope to go to graduate school in order to study complex systems. Eventually, I hope to do research and teach at the undergraduate level."
Hanson is currently working with Norman C. Craig, emeritus Biggs professor of chemistry, to synthesize isotopomers of the molecule butadiene and analyze its structure and will remain on campus this summer to complete the project. After graduation he hopes to attend graduate or medical school and pursue a career in medical research.
Goldwater Scholars have very impressive academic qualifications that have garnered the attention of prestigious postgraduate fellowship programs. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 50 Rhodes Scholarships (6 of the thirty-two awarded in the United States in 2003), 55 Marshall Awards (8 of the 40 awarded in the United States in 2003), and numerous other distinguished fellowships.
The Foundation, in its 15-year history, has awarded 3,962 scholarships worth approximately thirty-nine million dollars. The Trustees plan to award about three hundred scholarships for the 2004-2005 academic year.
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was authorized by the United States Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate. According to the Foundation, "the creation of this program pays tribute to the leadership, courage, and vision of Senator Goldwater and establishes in his name an endowed recognition program to foster and encourage excellence in science and mathematics."
Media Contact: Betty Gabrielli
       |