For the first time in College history, two Dartmouth undergraduates received Goldwater Scholarships, prestigious prizes given to the top mathematics and science students in the country annually.
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation Endowment awarded David Hemmer '96 and Cailin Nelson '97 scholarships.Hemmer and Nelson will receive $7,000 a year until they graduate.
Math Professor Thomas Sundquist, a member of the fellowship committee that nominates students, said, "Having one student from the College win the award is notable, having two is exceptional."
Associate Director of Career Services Susan Wright said this is the first year two students from the College have won the national scholarship.
Every college is permitted to nominate four candidates to apply for the merit-based scholarship, according to a press release from the Goldwater Foundation. This year, 285 of the 1,300 students who applied received the award.
The Goldwater Scholarship, established by Congress in 1989, is meant to encourage students to prepare for research careers in engineering, natural sciences and mathematics.
Nelson, a physics major, said a large part of the application was an essay where applicants described a project in the field in which they would like to conduct research.
"I wrote an essay on the question of whether the organic molecules from which life began did or did not come from Earth," she said.
Hemmer's essay dealt with methods of teaching math rather than a specific problem.
Hemmer, a mathematics major, said he was "thrilled" to win the prize.
"It will take a large dent out of next year's tuition bill," he said.
Nelson, who said she was surprised to have won, said, "It was a nice surprise. There are so many scholarships that are academics plus sports or community service. It is nice to see something just based on one thing."
