LSA and the College of Engineering have announced the winners of two major national scholarship competitions — the Goldwater Scholarship for STEM and Beinecke Scholarship for Humanities and Social Sciences.
Alex Golinski, a junior in chemical engineering, Jonathan Haefner, a junior in honors physics and honors mathematics, and Karl Winsor, a dual degree student in honors mathematics and computer science won Goldwater Scholarships.
Anna Forringer-Beal, a junior in anthropology, has won a Beinecke Scholarship.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program provides $7500 scholarships to “highly qualified scientists, mathematicians and engineers who intend to pursue research careers in these fields.”
The Goldwater is widely considered the most prestigious scholarship that an undergraduate can win in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), and is a bellwether of future success in the field. This year’s Goldwater Scholars are U-M’s 64th, 65th and 66th, tying the university with MIT for 11th place among institutional recipients.
Jonathan Haefner
Karl Winsor
Anna Forringer-Beal
Golinski of Troy has worked with Dr. Eniola-Adefeso, associate professor of chemical engineering, to model the bio-distribution of nano/micro particles used as potential drug delivery systems. His work for the lab has already resulted in a co-authored publication.
Eniola-Adefeso writes that Golinksi “demonstrates a great intellectual capacity for designing experiments and analyzing his results,” working independently at the level of an advanced graduate student. Golinski plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and work in pharmaceutical research.
Under the mentorship of Wolfgang Lorenzon, professor of physics, Haefner of Livonia has made important contributions to the Michigan Xenon Group, an effort to design a small-scale replica of modern liquid xenon dark matter detectors in order to probe the behavior of liquid xenon at relevant energies.
Haefner has worked on software, design and analysis for the team’s detector. In his Ph.D. program, Haefner plans to focus on theoretical aspects of particle physics phenomenology.
Winsor of Ann Arbor has performed research with Stephen DeBacker, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and professor of mathematics, and Yaoyun Shi, associate professor of computer science and engineering.
His most impressive research achievements to date, however, have been with Steven J. Miller, director of the SMALL REU program at Williams College. Their collaborative work has generated several professional conference presentations and five accepted or submitted papers to date. Winsor will graduate with dual bachelor’s degrees in honors mathematics and computer science. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics or computer science.
The Beinecke Scholarship Program was established in 1971 by the board of directors of Sperry & Hutchinson Co. to honor Edwin, Frederick and Walter Beinecke, enabling motivated students to pursue graduate opportunities in the arts, humanities and social sciences. The scholarship provides $34,000 in financial aid toward graduate degrees in these fields.
Forringer-Beal began working on the Undocumented Migration Project of Jason De Leon, assistant professor of anthropology, while still a senior at Greenhills School of Ann Arbor. Using material records, photographs and first-person interviews her work tells the stories of undocumented women attempting the perilous crossing of the Arizona-Mexico border and has been featured at a number of professional anthropological and archaeological society meetings.
A double major in women’s studies, Forringer-Beal also works closely with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, organizing ally trainings, Survivor Speak Outs, and other awareness programs. With her Beinecke Scholarship, Forringer-Beal plans to pursue a joint Ph.D.-J.D. in applied anthropology focusing on sexual violence.
