Three engineering Buckeyes garner Goldwater recognition

Three Ohio State engineering students and a biomedical science student have been recognized by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program.

A sophomore honors student in engineering physics, Jonathan Timcheck was named a 2013 Goldwater Scholar, the most prestigious national award for undergraduate researchers in science, math and engineering. Goldwater Scholars receive an award to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500. 

Brett Geiger, Brian Mog, and Brian Hurwitz received Honorable Mentions. 

The scholarship program honoring Sen. Barry Goldwater was created as part of the Goldwater Foundation, a federally endowed agency created by an act of Congress in 1986.

Nationwide, 271 scholarships were awarded to sophomores and juniors on the basis of academic merit from a field of over 1,100 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by colleges and universities nationwide. An additional 200 Honorable Mentions were also awarded. Each institution may only nominate four students for this award. 

Jonathan is Ohio State’s first sophomore to be nominated for the Goldwater in eight years. Since the award's inception in 1986, Ohio State has produced 45 Goldwater Scholars, and 31 of the university’s last 32 nominees have been recognized as a scholar or honorable mention. 

Jonathan has conducted research with Dr. Richard Hughes and Dr. Brian Winer in particle physics. His research analyzes proton-proton collisions in the search for the Higgs boson. A recipient of the Robert Shurtz Award for performance in first year math courses, the Helen Cowan Book Award for first year physics students, and the Physics Valentino Scholarship, Jonathan will be spending this summer conducting research in Germany through the DAAD’s RISE program (Research Internships in Science & Engineering). A member of the Honors Collegium, he plans to pursue a PhD in physics and become a professor at a research institution developing data analysis techniques to study fundamental particle interactions in particle accelerator experiments.

Brett Geiger, a junior majoring in biomedical engineering, is conducting research with Dr. John Lannutti in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering and Dr. Michael Tweedle at the Wexner Medical Center. His work with Dr. Lannutti involves the development of electrospun nanofiber based bimodal drug release systems. Dr. Tweedle is advising Brett’s research designing a polymer bead-based capture device for circulating cancer tumor cells. Brett also conducted research at the Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht Centre for Biomaterial Development in Berlin, Germany, as part of the DAAD RISE program.

Brian Mog, a junior honors student in chemical engineering, has conducted research with Dr. Andrei Maiseyeu in Dr. Sanjay Rajagopalan’s lab in the Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute developing nanoparticles to treat cardiovascular disease. He has won awards for his research at the Natural and Mathematical Sciences Research Forum and the Davis Heart and Lung Research Forum at Ohio State.

A complete list of Goldwater Scholars and Honorable Mentions, arranged by state of residence, can be found on the Goldwater Website.

Applications for OSU’s Goldwater nomination will be due in mid-November 2013. Prospective applicants should contact the Undergraduate Fellowship Office and plan to attend an info session in early fall semester.