Andrew Lutas, Biology Major, Named Barry Goldwater Scholar

Andrew Lutas, Manchester, NH, a Biology major with a minor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a Schreyer Honors student, is one of four Penn State students selected to be Barry Goldwater Scholars. The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program was established by Congress in 1986, named after Senator Goldwater, who served in the U.S. Senate for thirty years. The scholarship program honors math and science students who are highly qualified and intend to pursue careers in their fields. It is considered to be the most prestigious award among the sciences, and is only awarded to 300 scholars a year. Lutas, when he found out he had won, said he felt ecstatic that his years of work had paid off. Lutas believes that his experience in applying and subsequently losing last year’s Goldwater scholarship gave him an edge above the other applicants; he knew what to do and what not to do this time around. He also believes that his enthusiasm toward research and making a contribution toward the scientific community contributed towards his win. After receiving his undergraduate degree, Lutas intends to get his PhD in Neuroscience, and after that, he plans to conduct research and ultimately direct a research lab in the same field. Each year Penn State and other universities throughout the United States may nominate four students – Penn State, as it has in the past, had all four nominees selected as Barry Goldwater Scholars.  Also selected to be Goldwater Scholars from Penn State were: Andrew Shevchuk, Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Physics; Kirstin Potts, Chemistry; and George Khoury, Chemical Engineering -- all Schreyer Honors students.