Solid Gold Scholars
Two UMBC students were awarded Barry M. Goldwater scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year. The Goldwater scholarship is awarded to sophomores and juniors who have excelled in science, mathematics or engineering.
Nathaniel Kim ’11, B.S. Chemistry and B.A. Political Science, and Geoffrey Clapp ’11, B.S. Mathematics and Computer Science, have both done substantial amounts of research during their time at UMBC. Both students will be presenting at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day on Wednesday, April 28.
Research is an essential part of the Goldwater application: each applicant must draft a research proposal in order to be considered for the award (they do not have to complete the research). Students must also be nominated for the award through their institution. A maximum of 300 awards are given out each year. This year, 278 awards were distributed among 1,111 applicants.
“Nate and Geoff had very solid applications, and they had great letters of recommendation. We had no reservations whatsoever about recommending them,” said Simon Stacey, associate director of the honors college, who helps to shepherd students through the process of applying for prestigious scholarships.
Though both students excel in their fields, they have very different interests and goals.
Kim hopes to earn his Ph.D. in chemistry and to one day become a university professor. “The support of my mentors has been integral to my success, and that really has put the impetus on me to give back to others,” he said.
He admits that he isn’t sure exactly where his political science degree fits into his future plans, but he can foresee a day when his two passions may intersect. “There aren’t enough scientists writing policy, and there aren’t enough politicians who know about the science of what they’re talking about,” he said.
Clapp plans to earn a Ph.D. in applied mathematics.
“I thought about applying for the Goldwater in my sophomore year. Then I looked at the research requirements and thought I had a lot of work to do, so I pretty much dedicated the last year to advancing my research,” said Clapp. The research outlined in his application is the same research that he will be presenting at URCAD: a mathematical study of how lamprey eels move.
“The hard work that they’ve done for the past two or three years is what gets them the scholarship,” said Stacey. “We know what a winning candidate looks like, and I think UMBC is a place that can have even more than two a year.” An institution can nominate up to four students each year.
The scholarship comes with up to $7,500 that the recipients can put towards tuition, housing and even books. But for both Kim and Clapp, the prestige of winning the award—which is one of the few awards that undergraduate students in these fields can earn in order to set themselves apart from their peers—is more valuable than the monetary prize.
And for Clapp, there was an even sweeter reward than money or recognition. “My parents were pretty amazed,” he said. “They got me an ice cream cake.”
(4/23/2010)
