Kenyon Junior Named Goldwater Scholar

GAMBIER, OhioElizabeth D. Carlton, Class of 2009, has been named a Goldwater Scholar by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The award is one of the nation's most prestigious honors for undergraduates in the sciences.

Carlton, who is from Cheyenne, Wyoming, earned a one-year scholarship valued at up to $7,500. She is one of 321 scholarship winners from around the country and one of 132 women. She was selected from a field of 1,035 students nominated by faculty members at colleges and universities.

A biology major, Carlton intends to pursue a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology. She hopes to conduct field and laboratory research on the life history evolution of birds.

Applying for the scholarship helped her focus on her future, Carlton said. "While working on the application, I realized how much I enjoyed coming up with these ideas for research," she said. "I am excited to pursue a future as a research biologist because of the creativity that the job involves. There are so many questions to answer.

"I am particularly fascinated by the trade-offs that animals face throughout their lifetimes in order to maintain a balance between their personal health and the quality of their offspring," she said.

Her initial exposure to evolutionary biology came in Kenyon coursework. Her interest in birds grew while doing field research with Robert Mauck, associate professor of biology, and Mark Haussmann, visiting assistant professor of biology, on Kent Island off the coast of New Brunswick, Canada.

"The science program at Kenyon has exceeded all of my expectations," she said. "I have the privilege of attending classes taught by professors who are so enthusiastic about what they are teaching. I have also been able to conduct research on topics that I feel passionate about."

Based in Springfield, Virginia, the foundation was endowed by the federal government in 1986. The scholarship program is designed to support outstanding students in their pursuit of careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.