Ann Marie Toth, a junior from Tolland, CT, and Lorena Hernandez, a sophomore from the Bronx, have been named Barry M. Goldwater Scholars for the 2001-02 academic year. The scholarship is the premier national undergraduate award in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.
Toth, a biochemistry major, plans to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular biology, then a career in molecular biology research in a corporate research or university setting. Hernandez, a biochemistry and sociology major, plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry, then go on to a career in biomedical research, focusing on cancer research.
The Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering and to foster excellence in those fields.
The Goldwater Scholars are selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,164 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. This year 302 scholarships were awarded. The one and two-year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. The Foundation, in its 13-year history, has awarded 3,323 scholarships worth approximately $33 million.
Toth, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Toth, is a graduate of Tolland High School, is a Dean's List student, a tutor for Hamilton's Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center, and a member of Hamilton's Women's Cross Country and Indoor Track and Field teams. In 2000, she attended the 40th Sanibel Symposium in St. Augustine, FL, an international meeting in quantum theory. She and another Hamilton student were the only two undergraduates at the conference and participated in a poster session there. In 1999 she received a summer science grant to do research with Hamilton Chemistry Professor George Shields.
Hernandez, the daughter of Ms. Maria Hernandez, is a graduate of Christopher Columbus High School. A Dean's List student at Hamilton, in 2000 she was recipient of a Summer Science grant that enabled her to do summer research with Shields.
Hamilton College is a highly selective residential college offering its 1,650 students a rigorous liberal arts curriculum. Students are challenged to think, write, and speak critically, creatively and analytically so that upon graduation they may distinguish themselves in both their professions and their communities.
