Three UF students win prestigious Goldwater Scholarships

April 10, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the third year in a row, three University of Florida students have won scholarships from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, an organization established by Congress in 1986 to encourage and assist outstanding undergraduate students pursuing careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

The Goldwater Foundation selected 321 scholarship winners for the 2008-09 academic year from a pool of 1,035 students nominated by faculties of colleges and universities nationwide.

UF’s winners are Victor Albert, a physics junior from Ozona, Fla., Steven Robinette, a biochemistry and molecular biology junior from Niceville, Fla., and Nathan Strutt, a chemistry senior from Sarasota, Fla. Marty Fernandez, a biochemistry and molecular biology senior from Tampa, Fla., received an honorable mention.

Each UF winner plans to earn a doctorate and teach at the university level.

“These students are extraordinary examples of the many talented students at the University of Florida,” said John Denny, interim director of the UF Honors Program. “We are proud of their accomplishments and are confident that the experiences they are having as undergraduates will lead to fantastic educational and professional opportunities.”

Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 70 Rhodes Fellowships, 94 Marshall Awards and numerous other distinguished fellowships.

Since its formation, the Goldwater Foundation has awarded 5,523 scholarships worth approximately $54 million. Each scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.