PITT UNDERGRADS WIN TOP SCIENCE AND MATH AWARDS

PITTSBURGH, April 7 -- Four University of Pittsburgh undergraduates have won prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships for 2000. No institution may nominate more than four Goldwater candidates, and this year, all four Pitt nominees for these scholarships were winners.

Recipients are: Christopher Farrell, a junior majoring in biological sciences; Jacob Nadler, a junior majoring in neuroscience; Brian Ruskin, a junior majoring in geology and planetary science; and Kathlean Schaefer, a sophomore majoring in chemistry.

The Goldwater Scholarship was established by Congress to recognize outstanding students in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. It is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields. Goldwater Scholars this year were selected based on academic merit from a field of 1,176 competitors nominated by colleges and universities nationwide.

"A high caliber of independent research is required to win the Goldwater," says University Honors College Dean Alec Stewart, Pitt's Goldwater Scholarship representative. "Pitt's near-perfect record year after year with the Goldwater speaks volumes about the resources available here for ambitious undergraduates in the natural sciences and engineering."

The Goldwater Scholarship covers tuition, room and board, fees, and books – up to a maximum of $7,500 – for each student's junior or senior year of study. Pitt undergrads have won 24 Goldwater Scholarships since 1990.

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