Computer Science Major Robert Woodward Wins Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship
Sophomore Robert Woodward is one of only nine CS majors around the country to receive the "Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship." This scholarship is considered the most prestigious award in the U.S. and competition for the award is exceedingly intense. Robert's career goals include obtaining his Ph.D. in Computer Science, conducting research in artificial intellignece and teaching at the university level. Robert is currently affiliated with the Constraint Systems Laboratory, directed by Professor Berthe Choueiry.The following was released by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program:
Mrs. Peggy Goldwater Clay, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, announced today that 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. One hundred eighty-nine of the Scholars are men, 132 are women, and virtually all intend to obtain a Ph.D. as their degree objective. Thirty-three Scholars are mathematics majors, 227 are science and related majors, 52 are majoring in engineering, and 9 are computer science majors. Many of the Scholars have dual majors in a variety of mathematics, science, engineering, and computer disciplines.
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.
Goldwater Scholars have very impressive academic qualifications that have garnered the attention of prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 70 Rhodes Scholarships, 94 Marshall Awards (8 of the 40 awarded in the United States in 2008), and numerous other distinguished fellowships.
The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on November 14, 1986. The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
In its twenty-year history, the Foundation has awarded 5,523 scholarships worth approximately fifty-four million dollars. The Trustees plan to award about three hundred scholarships for the 2009–2010 academic year.
