Apr 24, 2008 - Claremont, Calif. - Harvey Mudd College students Benjamin David Preskill ‘09 and Ethan S. Sokol ‘10 have been awarded Goldwater Scholarships, it was announced by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation in March.

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.

Preskill, a mathematics/physics major, plans to earn his Ph.D. in applied mathematics and conduct research in computational neuroscience, a field combining physics, mathematics, computer science and neurophysiology. His goal is to teach at the university level. Sokol, who is majoring in chemistry and biology, plans to earn his Ph.D. in molecular biochemistry and pharmacology and conduct research in biochemical science at the university level, primarily as a teaching professor.

“What a wonderful honor for these students and the college as a whole,” said Robert Cave, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. “Please join me in congratulating them, and I hope each of us can take real pleasure in the work we do to support this level of excellence. We all owe particular thanks to [Professor of Mathematics] Andy Bernoff for his hard work in shepherding the many phases of the nomination process.”

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation awarded 321 scholarships for the 2008–09 academic year to undergraduate sophomores and juniors from the United States. 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 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 20-year history, the foundation has awarded 5,523 scholarships worth approximately $54 million.