Alexander Williams of Niskayuna Receives Goldwater Scholarship

BRUNSWICK, ME (04/12/2011)(readMedia)-- Alex Williams, a junior at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, has been awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

The scholarship was authorized by Congress in 1986 to honor Sen. Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate.

The purpose of the scholarship program is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified individuals in the fields of science, mathematics and engineering.

Barry M. Goldwater Scholars are students who intend to pursue careers in those fields and are recognized as having outstanding potential.

Williams, of Niskayuna, N.Y., is a neuroscience major and computer science minor with plans to pursue a Ph.D. in computational neuroscience. He hopes to use experimental and theoretical methods to research neural network dynamics and teach at a leading university.

Williams, who received an honorable mention from Goldwater in 2010, is this year among the 275 Goldwater Scholars selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,095 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of their colleges and universities nationwide.

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.

Since its first award in 1989, the Goldwater Foundation has bestowed more than 6,600 scholarships worth approximately $50 million.