<rleton College juniors Nick Jones ’14 and Zach Wood-Doughty ’14 were among the 271 recently named Goldwater Scholars, while John Cho ’14 earning honorable mention.
Established in 1986 by the United States Congress, The Goldwater Scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards for undergraduates studying the sciences. It is awarded annually to approximately 300 college sophomores and juniors to recognize and encourage those who intend to pursue careers in the fields of science, mathematics and engineering. The scholarship covers undergraduate tuition, fees, books, and room and board, with a maximum of $7,500 annually.
Each institution is allowed to nominate up to four candidates. Nominees are awarded the scholarship based their fields of study, career objectives and potential contributions to the field.
Both Jones and Wood-Doughty are computer science and mathematics double majors, while Cho is a chemistry major. Of the 271 students who were awarded Goldwater Scholarhsips this year, only fourteen were computer science majors, a major point of pride for the Carleton Computer Science department.
Jones, from Evanston, Il, has been a TA/prefect for the computer science department, worked for ITS and co-directed the TOPSoccer program—a soccer program for youth with special needs—of the ACT center. He wishes to earn a PhD in statistics to conduct research in machine learning and help to provide high school students with more enriching opportunities in math and computer science.
Wood-Doughty, from Madison, WI, hopes to earn a PhD in computational linguistics to develop software that alters the interaction between computer and people. “For me, the Scholarship offers a boost of encouragement for future study in computer science,” he said. In his spare time, he captains the volleyball club and men’s hockey team and is the president of the karate club.
Both Jones and Wood-Doughty highlighted their thankfulness for the scholarship.
“I feel honored to have won a Goldwater Scholarship, and am privileged to have such supportive parents and excellent professors. I’d particularly like to thank Professor David Liben-Nowell for all his help and guidance in studying Massive Online Open Courses and applying for the Scholarship,” said Wood-Doughty.
Jones also expressed his gratitude, saying, “I’m greatly honored and incredibly excited to have received a Goldwater Scholarship. I am grateful for all the opportunities that I’ve received throughout my education in high school and at Carleton, and particularly appreciate the guidance provided by Carleton faculty.”