Photo Caption: Ariel Nicastro (MTSU Photo by Robin E. Lee)

Photo Caption: Goldwater Logo

Middle Tennessee State University sophomore and Honors Buchanan Fellow Ariel Nicastro, of Franklin, TN, was recently named as a 2024 Goldwater Scholar. She is one of 10 students from Tennessee institutions to receive the award this year and the only one from MTSU.

The Goldwater Scholarship Program, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States, seeks to identify, encourage, and financially support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this nation's next generation of research leaders in these fields.

A physics major and student in the MTSU University Honors College, Nicastro was among more than 430 college students selected from more than 5,000 applicants to receive the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship this year.

In addition to the Goldwater Scholarship, Nicastro was awarded a Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory this summer. She is one of four students recognized as an Amplify Scholar (stylized as AMPLIFY) for success in obtaining graduate school and coveted Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships.

"I am incredibly proud of Ariel for being awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Ariel as part of our quantum research group within the Amplify program," said Hanna Terletska, associate professor of physics and astronomy who heads the Quantum Science Initiative, which includes the Amplify Scholars program. "Ariel embodies the qualities every advisor hopes for in a student: intelligence, diligence, talent, and unwavering drive. This esteemed award is a well-deserved recognition of Ariel's exceptional contributions to research at MTSU."

The scholarships are awarded by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation to encourage outstanding undergraduate students to pursue careers and research in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Each Goldwater Scholar annually receives an amount equal to the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, books, and room and board minus the amount of support provided by other sources-up to $7,500 maximum per full academic year. Scholars who receive the award as sophomores can expect to receive support for a maximum of two years (four semesters) or until graduation, if sooner.

Students interested in applying for the Goldwater Scholarship, or other national and international awards, should contact Laura Clippard, International Fellowships and Honors College coordinator, at 615-898-5464 or Laura.Clippard@mtsu.edu