Record-tying four Notre Dame students named 2025 Goldwater Scholars
A record-tying four University of Notre Dame students have been named 2025 Goldwater Scholars in recognition of their exceptional promise as future leaders in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics.
Juniors Jacob Finley, John Howe, Thomas Reimer and Connor Smith each will receive a maximum $7,500 for tuition and other expenses for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year.
Jacob Finley
Finley, from Kentucky, is an honors track physics-in-medicine major in the College of Science. He is a research assistant to Sylwia Ptasinska, professor of physics and astronomy, in the Ptasinska Research Laboratory. He previously worked under Steven Lin, associate professor of biomedical sciences, at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He will pursue research this summer as an Amgen Scholar at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Outside of the classroom, he is a hospice volunteer. He also volunteers at a local hospital. After graduation, he plans to pursue a doctorate in physics and then work as a radiation oncology physician scientist.
John Howe
Howe, from Texas, is an electrical engineering major in the College of Engineering. A two-time NDnano Undergraduate Research Fellow, he is an assistant to Kai Ni, assistant professor of electrical engineering, in the Nanoelectronic Devices and Systems Group. He previously worked under Svetlana Neretina, professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, in the Nanomaterial Fabrication Research Laboratory. Outside of the classroom, he is a member of the Notre Dame Marching Band and the Robotic Football Club. He plans to pursue a doctorate in electrical engineering after graduation and then work as a researcher for the semiconductor industry, with a focus on memory technologies.
Thomas Reimer
Reimer, from Maryland, is an honors track chemistry major in the College of Science. He is a research assistant to Brandon Ashfeld, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, in the Ashfeld Research Group. He previously worked under Kaiya Fu, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, in the Fu Lab. A past recipient of a summer research abroad grant from the National Science Foundation and a Summer Language Abroad Grant from the Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures, he plans to pursue a doctorate in chemistry after graduation and then pursue solutions to unsolved or overlooked biological problems in the medical context as an organic chemist.
Connor Smith
Smith, from Texas, is a Glynn Family Honors Scholar and an honors track physics major in the College of Science. He is a research assistant to Justin Crepp, associate professor of physics and astronomy and director of the Engineering and Design Core Facility. He conducted research on gravitational waves with Quynh Lan Nguyen, affiliate scholar of physics and astronomy, and was a recipient of the Quazi and Shaheen Islam Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Physics and Astronomy from the College of Science. Outside of the classroom, he is a bilingual tutor with La Casa de Amistad. He also co-hosts a weekly radio program on campus. He plans to pursue a doctorate in astrophysics after graduation and then conduct astrophysical research at an observatory or national laboratory or research and teach at the university level.
In applying for the scholarship, the students worked closely with the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE), which supports the intellectual development of Notre Dame students via scholarly engagement, research, creative endeavors and the pursuit of fellowships.
Emily Hunt is assistant director of scholarly development for CUSE.
“Our success with the Goldwater Scholarship points directly to the transformative research opportunities available to Notre Dame students in the Colleges of Engineering and Science,” Hunt said. “Each one of our recipients has received guidance from dedicated faculty mentors both on campus and off. Thank you to those mentors, CUSE postdoctoral fellow Grace Song and our dedicated faculty nomination committee for supporting our applicants.”
Named for former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, the Goldwater Scholarship seeks to foster and encourage outstanding sophomores and juniors to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. It is the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these particular fields.
For more on this and other scholarship opportunities, visit cuse.nd.edu.
Latest Colleges & Schools
- In memoriam: Elizabeth Nanovic, founding benefactor of the Nanovic InstituteElizabeth Nanovic, a founding benefactor and advisory board member of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, passed away on March 30. She was 90.
- ‘Quiet eye’: Notre Dame psychologist identifies links between a steady gaze and elite performanceIn a recent study supported by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the Army Research Institute, Notre Dame psychologist Matthew Robison documented a phenomenon in eye movement — or “oculomotor dynamics” — that links a steady, focused gaze with superior levels of performance.
- ‘Who the messenger is matters’: Cultural leaders can positively influence population growthFertility rates across the world have been steadily dropping since 1950. Pinpointing the reasons is at the heart of Lakshmi Iyer's work as a professor of economics and global affairs. Her research exemplifies the kind of population-level research that Notre Dame Population Analytics (ND Pop), a new research initiative at the University, seeks to foster.
- ND Expert on tariffs and trade policy: ‘How should the US be engaged with the rest of the world?’To make sense of the new administration's recent tariff announcements and policy changes, Robert Johnson, the Brian and Jeannelle Brady Associate Professor of Economics at Notre Dame, explains how tariffs affect global economies and what this means for U.S. engagement in global trade.
- Lessons from Venezuela’s democratic collapse: How opposition movements can defy autocratic leadersLaura Gamboa, a political scientist at the University of Notre Dame, explores how opposition movements navigate authoritarian regimes in a study of Venezuela's political transformation. The research analyzes the effectiveness of various strategies, including electoral participation, in the face of eroding democratic norms.
- U.S. Ambassador to the EU visits Notre Dame as second Nanovic Forum Diplomat in ResidenceMark Gitenstein, U.S. ambassador to the European Union (2022-25), will join the University of Notre Dame between March 22 and April 4 as the Nanovic Forum Diplomat in Residence at the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, part of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs.
