The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by the United States Congress in 1986 in honor of former United States Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. Its goal is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who are US citizens or permanent residents and intend to pursue careers in these fields.
The scholarship—one of the most prestigious national undergraduate scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics [1] [2] —is awarded annually to about 400 college sophomores and juniors out of approximately 1200 nominees. [3] The scholarship is awarded based on merit, and the actual amount given is based on financial need, up to a maximum of $7,500 per academic year. In addition, since at least 2006 until 2018, about 150 exceptional applicants not awarded the Scholarship have been recognized with official Honorable Mentions. [4]
Colleges and universities are allowed to nominate only four of their undergraduate students per year to receive the final scholarship, making it a premier award in the US conferred upon undergraduates studying the sciences.
In awarding scholarships, the Foundation considers the field of study, career objectives, commitment, and potential for a significant professional contribution. This is judged by letters of reference, student essays, and prior research experience. The number of scholarships per region depends on the number and qualifications of the nominees for that region. The regions are defined as each of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and, considered as a single entity, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The table below represents the top 20 universities based upon the number of Goldwater Scholars they have produced as of March 22, 2006. [5]
Ranking by Number of Goldwater Scholars | University Name | Number of Goldwater Scholars |
---|---|---|
1. | Princeton University | 64 |
2. | Harvard University | 60 |
3. | Duke University | 58 |
4. | Kansas State University | 57 |
5. | University of Chicago | 53 |
6. | Pennsylvania State University | 52 |
7. | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 51 |
7. | California Institute of Technology | 51 |
9. | Stanford University | 49 |
10. | Johns Hopkins University | 46 |
11. | University of Virginia | 45 |
11. | Washington University in St. Louis | 45 |
11. | Montana State University | 45 |
14. | Cornell University | 43 |
14. | University of Michigan | 43 |
14. | Brown University | 43 |
17. | Northwestern University | 41 |
17. | University of Tulsa | 41 |
17. | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 41 |
17. | University of Kansas | 41 |
17. | Yale University | 41 |
In 2019, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation partnered with the Department of Defense National Defense Education Programs (NDEP) to dramatically increase the number of scholarships offered from the historical average of 15-20% of nominees at the national level to over 40%. This awarded a Goldwater scholarship to all students who would have received an Honorable Mention in previous years. [6]
Barry Morris Goldwater was an American politician and major general in the Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Republican Party's nominee for president in 1964.
Chatham University is a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally founded as a women's college, it began enrolling men in undergraduate programs in 2015. It enrolls about 2,110 students, including 1,002 undergraduate students and 1,108 graduate students. The university grants certificates and degrees including bachelor, master, first-professional, and doctorate degrees in the School of Arts, Science & Business, the School of Health Sciences, and the Falk School of Sustainability & Environment.
The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of physics. The society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the prestigious Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than twenty science meetings each year. APS is a member society of the American Institute of Physics. Since January 2021 the organization has been led by chief executive officer Jonathan Bagger.
Free education is education funded through government spending or charitable organizations rather than tuition funding. Many models of free higher education have been proposed. Primary school and other comprehensive or compulsory education is free in many countries. Tertiary education is also free in certain countries, including post-graduate studies in the Nordic countries. The Article 13 of International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ensures the right to free education at primary education and progressive introduction of it at secondary and higher education as the right to education.
The Young Artist Award is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically disabled or financially unstable.
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a public research university in San Antonio, Texas. With over 34,000 students across its four campuses spanning 758 acres, UTSA is the largest university in San Antonio and the eighth-largest by enrollment in the state of Texas. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity" and offers 159 degree options from its nine colleges.
The Churchill Scholarship is awarded by the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States to graduates of the more than one hundred colleges and universities invited to participate in the Churchill Scholarship Program, for the pursuit of research and study in the physical and natural sciences, mathematics, engineering, for one year at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of education policy or curriculum choices in schools. It has implications for workforce development, national security concerns, and immigration policy, with regard to admitting foreign students and tech workers.
The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation is an Executive Branch office of the United States Government. The Foundation was established by the Congress in 1992 to honor Morris Udall's thirty years of service in the House of Representatives. Congress amended the name in 2009 to include Stewart Udall, in recognition of his public service. The full official name of the Foundation is Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation. The President of the United States appoints its board of trustees with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Barry Morris Goldwater Jr. is an American politician. He is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from California, serving from 1969 to 1983. He is the son of U.S. Senator and 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater.
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is a graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership. It is a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic excellence, and a commitment to public service. It is administered by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, an independent federal agency based in Washington, D.C.
Iota Sigma Pi (ΙΣΠ) is a national honor society in the United States. It was established in 1902 and specializes in the promotion of women in the sciences, especially chemistry. It also focuses on personal and professional growth for women in these fields. As with all honor societies, they create professional networks along with recognizing achievements of women in chemistry.
The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF-GRFP) is a prestigious grant awarded annually by the National Science Foundation to approximately 2,000 students pursuing research-based Master's and doctoral degrees in the natural, social, and engineering sciences at US institutions. As of 2023, the fellowship provides an honorarium of $12,000 to be placed towards the cost of tuition and fees at the university the fellow attends; it also awards the student directly with an annual $37,000 stipend for three years, leading to an anticipated total award amount of $147,000.
The University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is the college for the liberal arts and sciences of the University of Florida, and the largest of the university's 16 academic colleges. Most core curriculum classes, 43 majors, and 47 minors are part of the college. The university reports that more than 700 faculty members teach at least 35,000 students each year, with more than 11,000 undergraduates pursuing a degree from the college and 1,500 graduate students are also attaining graduate degrees in the college.
MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge is a mathematical modeling competition open to high schools in the U.S. and schools with sixth form students in England and Wales. It is sponsored by MathWorks based in Boston and organized by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) based in Philadelphia.
The Honors College at the University of Arkansas enhances the learning of students by sharing unique learning experiences with participants. From 10 to 15% of Arkansas undergraduates participate in the Honors College. Entering freshman for the Honors College have an average score of 30 on the ACT and 4.1 high school GPA. Honors students benefit from smaller classes, priority registration, special housing and opportunities for hands-on research. Each year the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships worth $72,000 over four years and more than $1 million in research, study abroad, service learning and internship grants. The U.S. News & World Report highlighted the Honors College as one of six institutions in the country that offer a high quality education at a low cost, focusing on the valuable opportunities and connections available to students in the program. The Honors College serves all undergraduate majors.
Rhonda Jo Hughes is an American mathematician, the Helen Herrmann Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Bryn Mawr College.
The Schulich Leader Scholarships is a Canadian and Israeli undergraduate award program that provides scholarships for students enrolled in STEM areas of study. Established in 2011 following a $100 million gift from Canadian businessman and philanthropist Seymour Schulich and co-administered by the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, the program was initiated with the goal of producing STEM leaders to strengthen the economic competitiveness of Canada and Israel. In the inaugural year, 977 high schools and CÉGEPs across Canada put forward a nominee to compete in the annual award competition. In 2015, 1,250 students were nominated, fifty of whom were selected for the scholarship by one of the twenty participating universities.
The Honors College at Montana State University provides opportunities for students to study, conduct research, and exchange ideas in a challenging and supportive academic environment. In addition to learning from outstanding faculty members, honors students can attend special Honors seminars, take interdisciplinary Honors courses, and engage in independent study and research opportunities.
Farley Norman is a professor of psychological sciences at Western Kentucky University. He is a co-director of the Gustav Fechner Perception Laboratory at Western Kentucky University, along with his wife, Hideko Norman.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)