The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to serve as a living memorial to honor the lifetime work of Senator Barry Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years in the U.S. Senate. Read more
By providing scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering, the Goldwater Foundation is helping ensure that the U.S. is producing the number of highly-qualified professionals the Nation needs in these critical fields. Over its 30-year history, Goldwater Scholarships have been awarded to thousands of undergraduates, many of whom have gone on to win other prestigious awards like the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Fellowship, Rhodes Scholarship, Churchill Scholarship and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship that support our Scholars’ graduate school work. Today, Goldwater alumni can be found conducting research that is helping defend the Nation, finding cures for catastrophic diseases and teaching future generations of scientists, mathematicians and engineers.
New Chair of Foundation Announced
It is with deep, heartfelt gratitude for her service, that I announce Peggy Goldwater Clay’s decision to step down as the Chair of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation Board of Trustees. A member of the Board since 1995, Ms. Clay served as Chair for 19 years. Under her leadership, we successfully partnered with the Department of Defense National Defense Education Programs to increase the number of awards offered annually and implement new programs promoting equity and inclusion of underrepresented groups. It has been my pleasure to work with her and I am pleased that Ms. Clay plans to remain an active member of the Board.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of The Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, I am pleased to announce that Dr. John Yopp will be the new Chair. A member of the Board since 2011, he brings many years of experience gained from his previous roles as Vice Chair and the Chair for the Audit Committee. I look forward to working with Dr. Yopp in expanding the Goldwater Program to identify and support our future leaders in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States. View Press Release
2022 Goldwater Scholars Announced
As the result of an ongoing partnership with the Department of Defense National Defense Education Programs (NDEP), Mrs. Peggy Goldwater Clay, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, announced that the Trustees of the Goldwater Board has again been able to increase the number of Goldwater scholarships it is awarding for the 2022 -2023 academic year to 417 college students from across the United States. “The Department of Defense’s continued partnership with the Goldwater Foundation ensures we are supporting the development of scientific talent essential to maintaining our Nation’s competitive advantage,” said Dr. Jagadeesh Pamulapati, Acting Deputy Director of Research, Technology and Laboratories, who oversees the NDEP program, as he explained the partnership. With the 2022 awards, this brings the number of scholarships awarded since 1989 by the Goldwater Foundation to 9870.
From an estimated pool of over 5,000 college sophomores and juniors, 1242 natural science, engineering and mathematics students were nominated by 433 academic institutions to compete for the 2022 Goldwater scholarships. Of students who reported, 175 of the Scholars are men, 234 are women, and virtually all intend to obtain a Ph.D. as their highest degree objective. Forty-five Scholars are mathematics and computer science majors, 308 are majoring in the natural sciences, and 64 are majoring in engineering. Many of the Scholars have published their research in leading professional journals and have presented their work at professional society conferences. Read More...
Important Dates
FIRST TUESDAY IN SEPTEMBER: Online Application Opens
EARLY SEPTEMBER TO LATE JANUARY: Individual internal campus deadlines
LAST FRIDAY IN JANUARY: Nomination deadline (5:00 PM CT)
LATE FEBRUARY: Nomination packets reviewed
MID-MARCH: Board of Trustees vote on Scholars/Honorable Mentions
LAST FRIDAY IN MARCH: Scholars/Honorable Mentions Announced (11:00 AM Central Time)
College Matters. Alma Matters. June 3rd Podcast
Episode summary introduction: Set up in 1986 to honor Senator Barry Goldwater’s distinguished public service, the Scholarship promotes undergraduate research by awarding scholarships to students. In this podcast, John gives us an overview of The Barry Goldwater Scholarship, How Students can Apply, What they look for in their Scholars, and Advice for High Schoolers.