Sarah Thompson and Colin HoyCONWAY, Ark. (March 30, 2011) – Three Hendrix juniors were awarded the 2011 Goldwater Scholarship from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. A Hendrix sophomore also received honorable mention.
The student recipients include juniors Sarah Thompson, a chemical physics and bioethics major from Picayune, Miss.; Annie Greenaway, a chemistry major from Westminster, Colo.; Colin Hoy, a neuroscience major from Baton Rouge, La.; and sophomore Erik Istre, a mathematics major from Youngsville, La.
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program is widely considered the most prestigious honor in the U.S. conferred upon undergraduates studying the sciences. The program was established by the United States Congress in 1986 in honor of former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, a 1964 presidential candidate to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to students who intend to pursue careers in these fields. Competition for the award is exceptionally intense. Institutions may nominate only four undergraduate students per year.
Dr. Todd Tinsley, assistant professor of physics, served as the College’s Goldwater Scholar advisor. Tinsley, a Hendrix alumnus, was named a Goldwater Scholar in 1997.
"Of all of my responsibilities as a faculty member at Hendrix, the toughest job I have each year is selecting only four nominees from an amazing group of outstanding students,” Tinsley said. “When I first solicit nominations from faculty, I start with nearly sixty candidates across campus. We select four students whose career goals best match the aims of the Goldwater program, who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the classroom, and who have shown an aptitude for independent inquiry in the laboratory and on special projects.”
“This year's nominees are a testament to the quality of students at Hendrix, the mentoring they receive from our faculty in the classroom and laboratory, and the amount of hard work all four of our nominees put into their applications,” he said. “I'm not aware of any year when our students have been recognized with three scholarships, not to mention another honorable mention.”
In the 23-year history of the program, 24 Hendrix students have been named Goldwater Scholars.
For a full list of this year's national recipients, visit http://www.act.org/goldwater/pdfdoc/2011scholars.pdf.
Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is featured in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review as one of the country’s best 371 colleges, was identified as the nation’s top “Up and Coming” liberal arts college for 2011 by U.S. News and World Report, and is ranked among 45 “Best Buy” colleges by the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.