National
Goldwater Scholarships
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships recognize sophomores and juniors who major in math, a science, or engineering and who
are pursuing careers in research. This includes physician researchers. Applicants must have GPAs of 3.85 or higher; but in practice, UI applicants have GPAs of 3.95 or above. Goldwater applicants also must have significant research experience and some extracurricular activities.
Honors at Iowa nominates four students a year for this award. Up to three hundred twenty students across the nation win Goldwaters each year. Applications are due in early February. Competition for nominations is announced in September or October, and selections follow soon afterward. Potential applicants should contact the Honors Scholarship Director in September or October to express an interest.
University of Iowa students compete well for this award. Maria Drout received the award in 2009, as did Mark Tucker, Rachel Levine, and Thomas Heineman in 2008. In 2007, Garth Strohbehn, Catherine Whiting, and Alexandra Keenan won the Goldwater. And in 2006 and 2005 each, UI students won three awards.
“Winning the Goldwater Scholarship has definitely helped me gain confidence in my abilities and is a great preparation for applying to graduate school.”
— Catherine Whiting, 2007 winner.
“Applying for a Goldwater Scholarship helped crystallize my academic and professional aspirations. It was during the essay writing process that I really began to feel sure of what I wanted to do in life. And that same process improved my writing skills, especially with respect to scientific communication.”
— Garth Strohbehn, 2007 winner.
“This is so awesome!! I can’t believe it! I definitely checked the Goldwater website a couple times, looked away, looked back, you know…just to make sure my name didn’t disappear or anything.”
— Craig Kilburg, 2006 winner.