Four Named Goldwater Scholars

Four Harvard undergraduates were named Barry M. Goldwater Scholars last Thursday, an award that grants them up to $7,500 annually for the remainder of their undergraduate careers to cover their tuition and other student expenses.

The scholarship, which honors former Senator Barry M. Goldwater, has been awarded to about 300 students annually since 1986 to support and encourage students of outstanding academic achievement to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

Harvard was one of 13 schools this year to have all four of its nominees win the federally-endowed scholarship.

This year’s Harvard Goldwater Scholarship recipients are Nathaniel J. Craig ’05, Mariangela Lisanti ’05, Christina P. Riehl ’05 and Jillian E. Spangler ’06.

Lisanti, who plans to pursue upon graduation an academic career in physics, said receiving the scholarship provided both a financial and psychological boost.

“First and foremost the scholarship money is tremendously helpful,” Lisanti said. “I think it is also helpful in terms of receiving that pat on the back and that encouragement in terms of being a physics concentrator and doing problem sets each week.”

Craig also plans to pursue an academic career in physics.

He said that the financial support came at a very opportune time, as Harvard recently announced a 5.5-percent increase in tuition for next year.

“It caught me by surprise, and I didn’t quite believe it. It will help to defray the increasing Harvard tuition,” Craig said.

The four Harvard Goldwater Scholars—who are all concentrating in the natural sciences—were among the 310 total scholars chosen nationwide from a pool of 1,113 nominees.

Over two-thirds of the scholars were science majors, with the remaining students majoring in mathematics, engineering or computer science.

Craig said he appreciates the Goldwater for its recognition of students studying the natural sciences.

“It is terribly exciting and I am glad that science majors can have an opportunity to be recognized. I am very excited for the others who won it to. They are very deserving people,” he said.

The federally endowed scholarship is limited to sophomores and juniors enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities.

Schools are allowed to nominate up to four students, and the final scholars are selected by a panel of academics from around the country.

Harvard applicants submitted their applications in October and were notified of the national decisions on April 1.

The scholarship has historically been extremely competitive and one of the premier undergraduate awards.

Six of this year’s 32 U.S. Rhodes Scholars and six of the 40 U.S. Marshall Scholars also are Goldwater recipients.

Gerald J. Smith, the president of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, said the success of the Goldwater Scholars in other fellowship competitions attests to the impressive achievement of the scholars.

“It’s just a snapshot of the caliber of the youngsters that we have in this program,” Smith said.

“The average GPA of the students selected was 3.95, which is not bad.”

According to a press release, virtually all of the scholars plan to pursue a Ph.D.

“These youngsters are just extraordinary. It’s based on academic achievement and it’s a head to head competition,” Smith said.