Caroline Bush, a junior majoring in biomathematics at Rhodes College, has been selected to receive a Goldwater Scholarship. She is one of 211 students nationwide to receive the scholarship for 2018-2019.
Established in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, the scholarship program was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these fields. Funding is provided up to a maximum of $7,500 per year, and students must be nominated by their institutions.
“Caroline quickly rose to the top during our internal application process,” says Dr. Larryn Peterson, assistant professor of chemistry at Rhodes and the Goldwater faculty representative. “The Rhodes College selection committee was especially impressed with her exceptional academic record and extensive research experience. On top of her commitment to research, Caroline has maintained an excellent GPA, while being heavily involved in the music program as a violist and in volunteering in the community. She truly embodies the qualities of a Goldwater Scholar.”
Bush is a new member of the Biological Sciences Honors Society and has spent the past two summers on campus as a Summer Biomathematics Research Fellow. “I am thrilled to have been selected as a 2018 Goldwater Scholar,” she says. “I would not have been selected for this award without Dr. Erin Bodine and Dr. Rachel Jabaily, who have been my mentors since my first year at Rhodes.”
A graduate of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, KY, Bush this fall will be applying to graduate programs related to the field of plant science. “I intend to pursue a career involving scientific research and teaching at a college or university,” she says.