Three UA Students Win Prestigious Goldwater Scholarships

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Once again the University of Arkansas has ranked alongside top Ivy League and private institutions, producing multiple winners in the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship competition.

This achievement marks the second consecutive year in which three or more UA students have won honors from the Goldwater Foundation. In 1999, only a dozen other universities matched the feat. This year, the U of A again stands in elite company, including Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Georgetown, Brown, Northwestern, Duke, Purdue, Washington University, and the Universities of Illinois, Kansas and Michigan.

"Our continued success with this scholarship competition reflects the quality of our students and the dedication of our faculty and staff in guiding and advising them," said Chancellor John A. White. "Our Goldwater Scholars are founding a tradition of excellence that will motivate and inspire other students for years to come."

The University of Arkansas boasted its first Goldwater scholar in 1991. Since that time, 12 UA students have won the prestigious award and gone on to pursue graduate studies at some of the nation’s best schools.

This year, Anna Terry of Fort Smith, Laura Fields of Little Rock, and Adam DeLisse of Richardson, Texas, raise the number to 15. Each will receive $7,500 to help pay for tuition, books and living expenses while they pursue research projects in biochemistry and mathematics.

Though the prize money is small compared to many national scholarships, the Goldwater Fellowship remains one of the most prestigious and competitive awards available to undergraduates.

The Goldwater Foundation established its scholarship program in 1988 to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the disciplines of mathematics, engineering and the natural sciences. Over the past 12 years, Goldwater Fellows have progressed to win 31 Rhodes Scholarships, 25 Marshall Awards, eight Churchill, nine Fulbright, 27 Hughes, and 78 National Science Foundation awards among others.

To qualify for a Goldwater Fellowship, applicants typically hold a GPA of 3.9 or higher and must be entering their junior or senior years in college. Furthermore, the scholarship committee looks for prior involvement in research or experience working in a lab environment, said Suzanne McCray, director of the UA Office of Postgraduate Fellowships.

Students who meet these qualifications must then submit a research proposal, outlining a project that not only fits the applicant’s field of interest but also bears significance for the scientific community as a whole.

As a physics major, Laura Fields submitted a proposal that will help shed light on the shape and structure of specific proteins. Using a technique called Dynamic Light Scattering, Fields and her mentor shine lasers into a protein solution and observe the pattern produced as the light passes through. As the proteins in the solution unfold, the pattern of light changes, allowing Fields to determine the conditions under which the proteins change shape.

"In order to create life, proteins have to fold into a very specific shape," Fields explained. "How they 'know’ what shape to assume is one of the great mysteries of modern science."

In addition to earning the Goldwater Fellowship, Fields holds a SILO grant for undergraduate research and was recently awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation Research Experience prize, which will allow her to conduct research this summer at CERN - the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, located near Geneva, Switzerland.

Two-time SILO grant recipient Adam DeLisse will use his Goldwater Fellowship to support a research project that blends mathematics with computer science. Over the next year, DeLisse will work to write a computer program that models the behavior of "Wang tiles" as they occupy a given plane.

The term "Wang tile" refers to a square geometric unit with different colors on each edge. Two Wang tiles can be placed adjacent to each other on a plane only where their edge colors match. By using a computer to model the way these tiles arrange themselves, DeLisse can examine arrangements of seven squares or less - enabling mathematicians to better understand the behaviors and characteristics of small sets of Wang tiles.

Majoring in biochemistry, Anna Terry used her Goldwater application to propose a research project that will employ genetic engineering techniques to strengthen protein structure. By artificially adding disulfide bonds at specific locations on a protein, Terry hopes to anchor the protein’s structure in place, making it stronger and more stable. Creating stronger proteins can lead to the manufacture of more effective medicines.

Although Terry plans a career in medical research, she is currently completing two additional majors in German and European Studies. She also devotes time to the study of music and is an accomplished violinist.

In addition to these three scholars, UA junior M. Stephen Harris of Hot Springs received an honorable mention from the Goldwater Foundation. The 2000 competition marks the first time that honorable mentions have been awarded - an indication of how many qualified students applied, said McCray.

The University of Arkansas is doing its best to contribute to that pool of outstanding applicants. Since its foundation two years ago, the Office of Postgraduate Fellowships has helped numerous UA students prevail in some of the nation’s most prestigious scholarship competitions.

In addition to providing a central resource of scholarship information and application forms, the office coordinates faculty committees to review applications, conduct mock interviews and offer advice on everything from grammatical errors to interview etiquette.

"Across the country, more and more scholarship offices like ours are being created, where students can find information and guidance on how to put their best foot forward," she said. "We’re at the front of a national trend that is producing applicants who are not only qualified but better prepared."

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