Patrice Baumhardt

ISU's Patrice Baumhardt Named Goldwater Scholar

Illinois State University student Patrice Baumhardt is the recipient of a 2008-09 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.  The Springfield native was one of 321 national winners who will receive up to $7,500 to cover the cost of tuition, books, fees and room and board for her senior year.

The Goldwater Scholars were selected for academic merit from a field of 1,035 mathematics, science and engineering students.  Of the 321 recipients, virtually all intend to obtain a Ph.D.  Thirty-three Scholars are mathematics majors, 227 are science and related majors, 52 are majoring in engineering and nine are computer science majors.           

Baumhardt is a biological sciences major with a 4.0 grade point average.  She is a Presidential Scholar in the Honors Program and is currently studying abroad in Griffith, Australia.  Baumhardt intends to earn her Ph.D. in marine biology and specialize in deep sea organisms.  She has participated in a National Science Foundation-funded research project at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Maine the past two summers.  

Goldwater Scholars have impressive academic qualifications that have gained the attention of prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 70 Rhodes Scholarships, 94 Marshall Awards (eight of the 40 awarded in the United States in 2008) and numerous other distinguished fellowships.

The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on Nov. 14, 1986. The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater fosters and encourages outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.  In its 20-year history, the Foundation has awarded 5,523 scholarships worth approximately $54 million.