FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - For the fourth consecutive year, University of Arkansas students have claimed new Barry Goldwater Scholarships, which now total 20 for the campus since the Goldwater program was established in 1988.

The University has added this year to the prestigious list two Fulbright College physics majors, senior David Norris of Little Rock and junior Michael Barnes of El Dorado.

"The University of Arkansas continues to produce top achieving students who compete with the upper echelon schools of Stanford, Harvard and Yale," said Suzanne McCray, director of the Office of Post-Graduate Fellowships. "Once again, the UA students' success with the Barry Goldwater Scholarship offers ample proof of just how competitive our students are at the national level."

The first such scholarship was awarded to a UA student in 1991, and since that time, the University has produced 20 Goldwater scholars in just 11 years. Last year, for the third consecutive year, three University of Arkansas students claimed Barry Goldwater Scholarships.

Norris was one of 80 students nationwide awarded the Morris K. Udall Scholarship for the 2001-2002 academic year, an honor worth $5,000. He was the fourth UA student to receive the Udall award, and he was selected for a compelling essay he wrote about his intended role in furthering science education in Native American communities. He is currently spending a junior year abroad studying physics at St. Andrews in Scotland.

Norris is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. He was both a National Merit Scholar and a U.S. Presidential Scholar. In addition to the Bodenhamer Fellowship, Norris has received the Chickasaw Nation Education Foundation Scholarship and the Earl Collins Foundation Scholarship Award of Kiwanis International.

While still in high school, he received the National Council of Teacher of English Achievement Award in Writing. He has served as a research assistant in the department of physics at the University of Arkansas and as an engineering intern for ALLTEL.

Barnes was selected in 2001 for the National Science Foundation Grants/Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) fellowship. Valued at approximately $6,000, the REU fellowship allows students to experience first-hand how basic research in all fields of science, mathematics and engineering is carried out and contributed consequentially. He was recently selected for another REU at Cornell for the 2002 summer.

"Like the Barry Goldwater, this REU is quite an honor for Michael," said Lin Oliver, UA physics professor. "Cornell has one of the top 10 physics programs in the country, and this REU is highly desired and very competitive."

Each student is assigned to a specific research project, where he/she works closely with the faculty, post-docs and graduate students.

Barnes' future goals include earning a doctorate in physics, becoming a professor in the field of theoretical physics and making a significant contribution through research.

Norris and Barnes each will receive $7,500 per year for tuition, books and room and board - a gift that enables them to devote other funds to individual research projects in zoology and biochemistry. According to the Goldwater Foundation, scholars are selected for their outstanding academic records and their commitment to pursue careers in the disciplines of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

McCray said each applicant goes through a rigorous evaluation process within the University before an application is even mailed. A committee of UA faculty members from a variety of scientific fields examines each student's application and project proposal and offers advice on how to present the material in an intelligent, clear manner.

"Physics is having a great year," McCray said. "First, they have a Marshall Scholar and a first-team USA Today Academic Team member, then an NSF Graduate Fellow and now two Barry Goldwater Scholars. Their department enthusiastically supports undergraduate research, and it shows."

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. 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.

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.

Other universities that received Barry Goldwater Scholarships for the 2002-2003 academic year include: Auburn University, Boston College, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Creighton University, Duke University, Emory University, Georgetown University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, MIT, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Oklahoma State University, Pennsylvania State University, Princeton University, Rice University, Stanford University, Texas A&M University, Trinity College, UCLA, University of Illinois, University of Kansas, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas, College of William and Mary, University of Tulsa, Vanderbilt University and Yale University.

The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,155 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. One hundred seventy-nine of the scholars are men, 130 are women, and virtually all intend to obtain a doctorate degree. Twenty-four scholars are mathematics majors, 198 are science majors, 27 are majoring in engineering, four are computer science related majors, and 56 have dual majors in a variety of mathematics, science, engineering and computer disciplines.

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