Local College Students Earn Goldwaters

March 31, 2008 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Students from Calvin and Hope colleges and Grand Valley State University have been honored as Goldwater Scholars by the board of trustees of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

The trustees awarded 321 scholarships for the 2008-2009 academic year to undergraduate sophomores and juniors from the United States. 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 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.

This year Calvin had one honoree -- sophomore Lissa Haegert, a graduate of NorthPointe Christian High School -- and one honorable mention -- sophomore Sarah Tasker, a graduate of Grand Rapids Christian High School. Hope had three honorees for 2008-2009 and Grand Valley had one. For all of the honorees see http://www.act.org/goldwater/sch-2008.html

Haegert is a Calvin physics major whose career goal is a doctoral degree in astronomy, research in solar system astronomy and perhaps teaching at the university level. Tasker is majoring in chemistry at Calvin and hopes to eventually earn a doctoral degree in organic chemistry before going on to conduct research and perhaps teach at the university level.

The Goldwater Scholarship, named for former senator Barry M. Goldwater, was established by Congress in 1986 to bolster the ranks of highly qualified U.S. scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who plan to pursue careers in these fields. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 70 Rhodes Scholarships, 94 Marshall Awards (eight of the 40 awarded in the United States in 2008) and numerous other distinguished fellowships.

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Received on Mon Mar 31 16:44:13 2008