Four VCU Students Named Goldwater Scholars

By Tom Gresham

Four Virginia Commonwealth University students have been awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, the premier national scholarship for undergraduate math, science and engineering students. 

VCU is one of only eight schools in the United States to claim four Goldwater Scholars among this year's group of recipients. VCU's Goldwater Scholars are Jeannette Aiken, a sophomore from Gainesville, Va., majoring in forensic sciences and biochemistry; John Bajacan, a junior from Springfield, Va., majoring in chemistry; Mary Beth Bird, a sophomore from Lexington, Va., majoring in biomedical engineering; and Allison de Groot, a sophomore from Washington, D.C., also majoring in biomedical engineering. 

"We are proud of these students for earning this extremely competitive honor," said Stephen D. Gottfredson, provost and vice president for academic affairs at VCU. "With their success, these students illustrate the outstanding scholarship and teaching excellence at VCU in the fields of math, science and engineering."

Each of the Goldwater students is enrolled in the VCU Honors College. The students applied for the Goldwater Scholarship with the aid of the Honors College's National Scholarship Office, which assists the best and brightest VCU students and alumni to compete for prestigious national and international scholarships. 

The Goldwater Scholars are selected on the basis of academic merit. This year, 321 scholarships were awarded to sophomores and juniors from a field of more than 1,000 applicants.

The one- and two-year scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

The Goldwater Scholarship Program, which honors former U.S. Sen. Barry M. Goldwater, was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.