Undergraduates Named Goldwater Scholars

Junior chemistry majors Whitney Gammill and Rachel Thomas are among three University of Arkansas students to be named Goldwater Scholars. The other recipient is Jordan Greenlee, an electrical engineering major.

All three are students in the Honors College and will receive a $7,500 scholarship. This spring, 321 students nationwide received the prestigious scholarships. The department has a strong tradition of producing Goldwater Scholars as half of the 39 awarded to UA students have been chemistry majors.

Gammill is a Bodenhamer Fellow with a minor in gender studies. Her research is in food science and chemistry and involves how unsaturated fats and fatty acids can be modified to enhance health benefits. Gammill plans to earn a doctorate in chemistry and pursue a career in biomedical research. She is the daughter of Rick and Diane Gammill of Maumelle.

Thomas is an Honors College Fellow pursuing minors in French and philosophy. Her research investigates the structural components of proteins that are able to span a cell membrane. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school and conduct biomedical research relating to neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. She is the daughter of Lawrence and Ramona Thomas of Fort Smith.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, and the first scholarships were awarded in 1988. The purpose of the program is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields. Universities and colleges may nominate up to four students each year.

Department Goldwater Scholars:

Bao Dang, 1994
Nam Le, 1994
Elizabeth Dunn, 1999
Jimmy McCarley, 1999
Anna Terry, 2000
Erin Scherer, 2002
Matthew Whitley, 2002
Matt Lohse, 2003
Leremy Colf, 2003
David Deitz, 2004
Joshua Liu, 2005
Ami SriRamaratnam, 2005
Rebecca Adair, 2006
Aireal Haley, 2006
Natalie Anderson, 2007
Randy Carney, 2007

News Release

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