May 17, 2005

Two GW Students Named Goldwater Scholars

By Julia Jacobelli

A pair of GW sophomores, Amrita Karve and Daniel Mittelberger, were among 320 students nationwide to receive the 2005–06 Goldwater Scholarships.
“We are extremely proud of Amrita’s and Daniel’s selections as Goldwater Scholars,” said GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. “Their passion for scientific discovery reflects and fuels GW’s commitment to providing undergraduates with exceptional opportunities to engage in primary research.”

Mittelberger, a double major in physics and mathematics with a minor in philosophy, has been a research assistant to Professor Akbar Montaser, whose research group is studying atomic spectroscopy with high temperature plasma sources. Mittelberger, who tutors through GW’s Society of Physics Students, is planning on joining a physics research group conducting Compton scattering experiments with Deuterium nuclei to determine neutron polarizability. After graduating he intends to pursue his PhD in physics.

“When I first heard that I had won, I jumped about three feet in the air,” said Mittelberger. “What I am most excited about is how this will affect my chances of getting into the best graduate program I can.”

Karve is a biology major in the accelerated BA/MD program. She is a member of the University Honors Program, editor of GW’s undergraduate research journal Inquiry, and a health issues reporter for WRGW. She plans to pursue a PhD in neuroscience and an MD in cardiology.

“I consider myself quite fortunate to have the guidance from those professors and mentors who helped me win the scholarship,” said Karve.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to support college students who are pursuing careers in science, mathematics, and engineering to promote the growth of the number of qualified professionals in those fields.

This year’s Goldwater scholars were chosen from a field of 1,091 math, science, and engineering students. GW has had two other Goldwater scholars in the past: Daniel Frank, in 2004–05, and Allison Alvarez, in 2002–03.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu