NORMAN – University of Oklahoma honors student Alison Roeth has been named a 2017 Goldwater Scholar. The prestigious scholarship is awarded on the basis of potential and intent to pursue research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering.
“We are extremely proud of Alison Roeth’s achievement in winning this very competitive national scholarship,” said OU President David L. Boren.
Roeth, a junior pursuing dual degrees in physics and Chinese, is from Charlotte, North Carolina. She is working with Ian Sellers, OU assistant professor of physics and astronomy, to research intermediate band solar cells. She has presented her work with Sellers at the American Physical Society March Meeting 2017. In addition, Roeth participates in ongoing projects with Kate Scholberg, professor of physics and Bass Fellow, Duke University, to research supernova neutrinos. Her work with Scholberg has produced two publications presentations at the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment collaboration meetings in September 2016 and January 2017, and the 2016 Fall meeting of the Conference Experience for Undergraduates/American Physical Society Division of Nuclear Physics. This past January, she joined researchers from the collaboration to continue work on her project at Fermilab. Her summer plans are to complete an intensive Chinese language immersion program in Taiwan. Upon graduation from OU, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in physics and conduct research in experimental particle physics and teach at the university level.
Roeth is a member of the OU Honors College, president of the Chinese Language Club, and has been active in several organizations, including the Society of Physics Students, the Society of Undergraduate Philosophers, and Honors College reading groups. A National Merit Scholar, Roeth’s honors and awards include the William Schriever Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Physics and Astronomy, the Lowell and Frances Dunham Scholarship from the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, and the J. Clarence Karcher Scholarship for the study of Physics, Astronomy, Astrophysics and Engineering Physics, which she has won twice. She also is proficient in Mandarin Chinese.
The national scholarship competition is conducted by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. This year, 1,286 college sophomores and juniors across the country competed for the 240 scholarships. 307 students received Honorable Mentions. The one- and two-year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.
