Two students awarded 2021 Barry Goldwater Scholarship

Madelyn Moy and Andrew Laeuger have been awarded the 2021 Barry Goldwater Scholarship. This scholarship gives funds to students intending to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Out of 5,000 college sophomores and juniors, Moy and Laeuger were selected to join the 2021-2022 cohort of 409 students.

As Goldwater scholars, Madelyn Moy and Andrew Laeuger represent the scientific talent essential to ensure the U.S. maintains its global competitiveness and security, according to the Department of Defense National Defense Education Programs (NDEP). Each scholar will receive an amount equal to the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, books, and room and board minus the amount of support provided for by other sources, up to a maximum of $7,500.

Madelyn Moy is a junior majoring in the Integrated Science Program, Biology, and Anthropology, with a minor in Chinese. She has worked in Professor Katherine Amato‘s biological anthropology lab studying the gut microbiome of human and non-human primates. Currently she is researching the relationship between pregnancy, immune function, and the gut microbiome of pregnant women from Cebu, Philippines.

Andrew Laeuger is a sophomore triple majoring in the Integrated Science Program, Physics, and Math. The research project he centered his Goldwater application on was focused on improving methods for laser-based cooling of levitated nanoparticles in the lab of Professor Andrew Geraci.

Related: Three Northwestern undergrads earn Goldwater scholarships – Northwestern Now