Three Williams Students Named 2014 Goldwater Scholars

Media contact:  Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., March 26, 2014—Williams College juniors Ben Augenbraun, Jesse Freeman, and Samantha Petti have been named 2014 Goldwater Scholars by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The students are three of 293 nationwide recipients of the scholarship, which is awarded to college sophomores and juniors who excel in mathematics, science, or engineering. Scholars receive awards of up to $7,500 to cover tuition, fees, books, and room and board.

Augenbraun is a physics major from Wilton, Conn., who spent last summer in the lab of Professor Robert W. Boyd at the University of Rochester conducting research on the quantum states of photons using a technique called direct measurement. Next year, Augenbraun will write a thesis with Williams Professor Protik Majumder. “I would not have achieved this without the dedicated professors in the department,” Augenbraun said. “They have instilled in me a deep enthusiasm for physics.” After graduation, Augenbraun plans to pursue a Ph.D. in physics, specializing in quantum optics.

Freeman, from Bethesda, Md., is a mathematics major currently studying abroad with the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford. In the summer of 2012, he interned at the National Archives and co-authored a paper on text classification algorithms with Jason Baron. Next year, he plans to write a thesis in analytic number theory with Professor Steven Miller, and he hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics. “I’m honored and humbled to receive this award,” Freeman said.

Also a mathematics major, Petti, from Buffalo Grove, Ill., plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics or operations research. Last summer, Petti researched knot theory with Professor Colin Adams, as part of the SMALL Undergraduate Research Project, a nine-week summer program at Williams in which undergraduates investigate open research problems in mathematics. Next year, she plans to complete a thesis in mathematics. “I feel honored and excited to receive the Goldwater fellowship,” Petti said. “I am very grateful for the research opportunities Williams has offered me.”

These recipients bring to 42 the number of Goldwater Scholars from Williams since 1989. Last year’s winner, Jared Hallet ’14, is currently working on an independent study. The Goldwater Foundation was founded in 1986 in honor of Senator Barry M. Goldwater. The scholarship program is designed to foster and encourage exceptional students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

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Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college’s 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students’ educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions on U.S. applicants are made regardless of a student’s financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted.

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