McCormick Student Receives Goldwater Scholarship

Samantha Dale Strasser, a biomedical engineering and applied mathematics student at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University, was one of four Northwestern students who received a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program was created to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering and to foster excellence in those fields. In awarding scholarships, the Foundation Board of Trustees consider the nominee's field of study and career objectives and the extent to which that individual has the commitment and potential to make a significant contribution to his or her field.

The 278 Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,111 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. One hundred fifty-six of the scholars are men, 122 are women, and virtually all intend to obtain a PhD as their degree objective. 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.

Strasser's career goals are to obtain her PhD in biomedical engineering, conduct research in biophotonics, and teach as a tenured full professor in a major research university.