Goldwater Scholar and Honorable Mentions
Three SMU students have been recognized by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. Nicole Hartman was named a 2014-15 Barry Goldwater Scholar, while Sara Kendrick and Dalton Kim were awarded Honorable Mention in the national competition.
Three SMU students have been recognized by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. Nicole Hartman was named a 2014-15 Barry Goldwater Scholar, while Sara Kendrick and Dalton Kim were awarded Honorable Mention in the national competition.
 Nicole Hartman |
 Sara Kendrick |
 Dalton Kim |
They are among 1,166 students nominated by colleges and universities nationwide for the award, which supports outstanding sophomores and juniors in the sciences, mathematics and engineering. The scholarship offers $7,500 per year toward tuition, fees, books, and room and board.
A President’s Scholar and junior from Lewisville, Texas, Hartman is one of 283 students to receive the award. She is majoring in physics and mathematics in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, and electrical engineering in the Lyle School of Engineering, and is a member of the University Honors Program.
As a Hamilton Undergraduate Research Scholar, she conducts research with Assistant Physics Professor Stephen Sekula and has been investigating the decay of two Z bosons. They are seeking insights into the Higgs boson “God particle,” which was observed in 2012 by the global CERN collaboration of thousands of scientists, including SMU physicists.
“I see the awarding of the Goldwater Scholarship as a clear recognition of Nicole's outstanding abilities, and also her strong potential for being a future leader of the field,” Sekula said.
Hartman is continuing her research this summer at CERN with Columbia University as part of the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.
“I have amazing professors who make learning so much fun, which is one of the reasons I was motivated to pursue a career in academia,” Hartman said. “I know that none of this would have been possible without the amazing support that I’ve experienced.”
Honorable Mentions
A senior from Memphis, Tennessee, Dalton Kim is a Dedman College Scholar majoring in chemistry and biological sciences, with minors in psychology and math. As a Hamilton Undergraduate Research Scholar, he conducts research with Chemistry Professor Patty Wisian-Neilson and Assistant Professor Nicolay V. Tsarevsky on antibacterial polymers for use on surgical tools and other metals. During the summer term, Kim is conducting research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center with Assistant Professor Uttam K. Tambar.
A senior from Dallas, Sara Kendrick is a President’s Scholar and member of the University Honors Program majoring in electrical and computer engineering. Her research mentors include Marc P. Christensen, dean of the Lyle School of Engineering; and Hao Zhu, assistant professor at UT-Southwestern Medical Center.
Since the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation presented its first awards in 1989, 31 SMU students have been named Goldwater Scholars or awarded Honorable Mentions.