Lawrence’s Willa Dworschack named a Goldwater Scholar

Willa Dworschack ’20, a Lawrence University physics major from Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin, has been named a Goldwater Scholar.

Dworschack, who is doing research in atomic and molecular optics, is one of 496 undergraduates across the country being honored for their studies in math and science fields.

The program honoring the late Sen. Barry Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of math, natural sciences and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship, the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these fields, is administered by the Goldwater Foundation, a federally endowed agency established in 1986. 

“I am thrilled to be honored by the Goldwater Foundation,” Dworschack said. “Lawrence has provided the opportunities to help me perform nationally recognized research, which is instrumental to my successes as an undergraduate.” 

Goldwater Scholars have impressive academic and research credentials that garner the attention of prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs.

Dworschack, a junior, is among the 496 college sophomores or juniors selected from across the country. The selections came from a pool of 1,223 natural science, engineering and mathematics students who were nominated by 443 academic institutions to compete for the 2019 Goldwater scholarships.  

“I am grateful for this scholarship that will help support my future and look forward to discovering what opportunities result from becoming a Goldwater Scholar while I continue my study of atomic and molecular optics,” Dworschack said.

The Goldwater announcement comes on the heels of Lawrence students earning prestigious Fulbright and Watson fellowships.

Meghan Murphy ’19, from Wauwatosa, is one of 41 national recipients of a Watson Fellowship that will provide for a year of independent travel and exploration, studying the violin and violin-like instruments in multiple cultures. 

Milou (Emmylou) de Meij ’19, from Bozeman, Montana, has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award. She will teach English in an assistantship position in Latvia during the 2019-20 academic year. A student of both Russian studies and music performance, she is one of more than 2,100 U.S. citizens who will study, conduct research, and teach abroad for the coming academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.