Three OSU students selected Goldwater Scholars
Friday, April 18, 2008
Recipients include Paul Egan of Broken Arrow, Ilya (Eli) Sluch of Stillwater, and Renee Hale of Hopewell Junction, N.Y.
“We’re having an exciting spring semester at Oklahoma State with all of the major national and international scholarships our students are receiving,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “These young people have exciting futures in store for them.”
More than 1,000 students applied this year for the one or two-year scholarships, and 321 were awarded for 2008-09, according to Peggy Goldwater Clay, chair of the board of trustees of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.
The Goldwater Scholarship is the most prestigious and competitive scholarship for undergraduate sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue careers in mathematics, natural sciences or engineering, and will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to $7,500 per year. The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 in 1986 in honor of the late Sen. Barry M. Goldwater.
“This is yet another example of how strongly qualified OSU’s students are for major scholarships,” said Dr. Robert Graalman, director of the OSU Office of Scholar Development and Recognition. “Our students have been awarded six major competitive scholarships during the last month, more indication of the quality of students and programming at OSU.”
Egan, a physics and mechanical engineering double major, is the son of Patrick and Janell Egan. He is a 2004 graduate of Union High School.
“Paul is exceptionally diligent, hard working, determined and productive. In fact, his maturity and development is more reminiscent of an excellent and seasoned graduate student, than an undergraduate student—even one of superior abilities,” said Dr. L.L. Hoberock, professor and head of the OSU School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. “His breadth of interest is unusual for an engineering student, particularly one so young, and demonstrates his desire to take full advantage of the opportunities here and abroad.”
Sluch, a chemistry sophomore from Stillwater, is the son of Mikhail Sluch and Yulia Soloviova. He is a 2006 graduate of the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics.
“Eli really stands out among his peers because of his passion for and devotion to research. He has the qualities that we hope to find in doctoral students: a hunger for new knowledge and the patience and skill to learn the techniques needed to gain it,” said Dr. Lee Slaughter, chemistry assistant professor. “The impressive thing about Eli is that he already showed these qualities when he first worked in my lab as a 17 year old.”
Hale, a chemical engineering major, is the daughter of Michael and Patricia Hale. Her sister, Melinda Hale, a 2007 OSU graduate in mechanical engineering, also received the Goldwater award three years ago.
“Renee Hale is atypical when compared to most all of our undergraduate students in engineering, in that she has engaged in an unusual blend and level of academic and creative pursuits,” said Dr. Karl N. Reid, dean of the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. “Because of her motivation to excel in highly challenging pursuits, as well as her extraordinary maturity and engaging personality, she will take full advantage of whatever environment she chooses to contribute and grow professionally. The Goldwater award is another step along a marvelous road of achievement.”