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Barry M. Goldwater & Thomas Sedlock Icon

Scholarship Programs

Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards171 Mary Gates Hall scholarq@uw.edu

Center for Experiential Learning & Diversity

Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards

Clearinghouse of information on merit-based scholarships,

Gathers and updates information on local and national funding opportunities,

Assists students with the development of competitive applications for national scholarship competitions, and

Disseminates scholarship information to current students through:

Website - http://expd.washington.edu/scholarships

Scholarship Email - scholarq@u.washington.edu

Quarterly Scholarship Workshops

Specific Scholarship Information Sessions

Individual Scholarship Advising Appointments

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Goldwater Scholarship Objective

“By providing scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering, the Goldwater Foundation is helping ensure that the U.S. is producing the number of highly-qualified professionals the Nation needs in these critical fields.”

In short, the purpose is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified researchers to the fields of science, mathematics and engineering.

Goldwater Eligibility

Be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior pursuing a degree at an accredited institution of higher education during the 2016–2017 academic year.

Intend to pursue a research career in a natural science, mathematics or engineering. Eligible fields: https://goldwater.scholarsapply.org/eligibility/

Have a college grade point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. To be competitive at UW, students should have a minimum of four quarters of

research experience and a minimum GPA of 3.5.

Be a United States citizen, a permanent resident, or, in the case of nominees from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands, a United States national. Nominations from permanent residents must include a letter of the nominee's

intent to obtain U.S. citizenship and a photocopy of the Perm. Res. Card.

2015 Goldwater Scholars

Nominees Scholars

Total 1206 260

Mathematics Majors 35

Science Related Majors 154

Engineering Majors 68

Computer Science Majors 4

2016: 1150 nominations, 252 Scholars, 256 Honorable Mentions

Application Evaluation Criteria

Academic Achievement grades, level of courses, awards, scholarships, special

programs

Progress Toward Research Goals research activities, career goals, course work

Research Essay technical content, bibliography, organization/grammar

Letters of Recommendation commitment to research, intellectual curiosity, potential for

research contributions

Equal weight is given to evaluation criteria.

*Scholar Characteristics

Course work consistent to meet graduate school goals.

Research experience and well-developed research plan.

Application where every response suggests a research career.

In-depth essay concentrating on expected or obtained research results and relevant to research interest.

Three strong letters of recommendation.

Career Goal/Professional Aspiration

Career Goals. 1 or 2 sentences describing career goals

Professional Aspiration how your current academic program and your overall educational

plans will assist you in achieving this goal.

Motivation. Describe an activity or experience that has been important in

clarifying or strengthening your motivation for a research career in STEM.

Activities. Participation in research and other activities associated with interest

in STEM or other areas

*Research Essay

The research essay must demonstrate knowledge base. Your essay must include 1) a description of the issue or problem, discuss an idea for research that could

have significant impact on the issue or problem, 2) describe an aspect of the research in which you would be involved, and 3) explain the relevance of the issue or problem to you as a researcher, to the field

and to science.

Write to the expertise of the reviewer. Detailed, technical language is expected but should be accessible by all STEM

disciplines Diagrams and figures can be helpful if essential

Background should provide context for the work; should not exceed 50% of essay.

Interpretation of obtained or expected results is very helpful. Future work your data suggests or work that still needs to be done to complete

the current project PI, GA, Lab supervisor involved in feedback.

Letters of Reference

Your letter writer should:

Write a detailed 1-2 page letter.

Assess your personal characteristics, motivation and potential for a research career in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering

Concentrate on motivation and potential for a research career.

Compare to other students who have gone on to PhD programs and research careers.

Reasons for Nomination Failure

1. Weak or inconsistent letters of reference from research faculty.

2. Poor choice in selecting individual(s) to write letter of reference.

3. Weak research essay.

4. Inconsistent application in areas that speak to a research career.

5. Weak grades, in comparison to scholar average GPA.

Applicant Checklist

Complete all sections of both application forms.

Make a consistent, strong case for a research career.

Include all research activities, presentations, posters and authored papers.

Consider the essay a miniature research proposal.

Select the three best individuals to write letters of recommendation – individuals who know your well and can speak to confidently about your potential.

Evaluate and proofread multiple times.

Goldwater & Sedlock - UW Nomination Process

Submit the following by Sunday, November 13, 11:59 p.m. Complete the Goldwater Pre-Application form, available at

https://goldwater.scholarsapply.org/steps-in-process/: basic biographical info basic academic info the names of 3 potential recommenders (names only, no actual letters are

required at this time) a brief description (limited to 500 characters) of your research experience.

In addition to the Goldwater Pre-Application form, please complete the UW internal online application form at https://expo.uw.edu/expo/apply/438. This form will request you to upload the following materials: Short responses Research essay Resume/CV Transcripts (UW automatically included, add any additional)

Goldwater & Sedlock Information

Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation https://goldwater.scholarsapply.org

UW Goldwater & Sedlock information: http://expd.uw.edu/expo/scholarships/goldwater

http://expd.uw.edu/expo/scholarships/sedlock/

Questions can be directed to:Robin Chang, robinc@uw.edu, 206-543-2603