A total of three Hope College students have received highly competitive scholarships from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, out of only 252 awarded nationwide.

The three recipients are sophomore Daniel Clark of Warrenville, Illinois; sophomore Sarah Petersen of Holland; and junior Kathryn Trentadue of Indianapolis, Indiana.

The scholarships were awarded by the Board of Trustees of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation to undergraduate sophomores and juniors.  The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from among 1,150 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the institutional representatives of 415 colleges and universities nationwide.

The scholarships are for one or two years, depending on the recipient’s year in school, and cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

Numerous Hope students have received scholarships or honorable mention through the years.  Across the past decade, for example, 15 have received scholarships and 13 have received honorable mention.

This year’s three recipients represent three different academic departments through their major fields of study.  All three have been active in collaborative faculty-student research while at Hope and intend to pursue graduate studies after their time at the college.

Clark, a chemistry and physics major, is interested in pursuing a doctorate in material science and synthesizing materials for space travel.  He has been conducting research with Dr. Jennifer Hampton, associate professor of physics.

Petersen, a mathematics major, is interested in pursuing a doctorate in mathematics and conducting research in abstract algebra and teaching at the university level.  She has been conducting research with Dr. Stephanie Edwards, associate professor of mathematics.

Trentadue, a chemistry major, is interested in pursuing a doctorate in organic chemistry and conducting research in organometallic reactions and teaching at the university level.  She has been conducting research with Dr. Jeff Johnson, associate professor of chemistry.

Nationwide, 144 of this year’s scholars are men, 108 are women, and virtually all intend to obtain a doctorate as their degree objective.  A total of 30 scholars are mathematics majors, 157 are science and related majors, 59 are majoring in engineering and six 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.  Since its first award in 1989, the Foundation has bestowed 7,680 scholarships worth approximately $48 million.  The Trustees plan to award about 260 scholarships for the 2017-18 academic year.