Three Rutgers students have been selected as Goldwater Scholars, a prestigious national honor for undergraduates who plan to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.
This year’s honorees include Keshav Badri, a physics and mathematics major at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, and two students at Rutgers-Camden: Amisha Rastogi, who is in an accelerated degree program to become a doctor of osteopathic medicine, and Jacob Oblander, a biology major at the forefront of cutting-edge biomedical research.
They are among 454 students nationwide named Goldwater Scholars this spring.
The announcement marks several milestones at Rutgers: It's the 21st consecutive year students from Rutgers-New Brunswick have been selected as Goldwater Scholars and the second year in a row two students were selected from Rutgers-Camden.
Named after the late Sen. Barry Goldwater, the undergraduate research scholarship awards recipients up to $7,500 to help cover costs associated with room and board, tuition, fees and books. Winners were chosen from a pool of more than 5,000 college sophomores and juniors nominated by 482 academic institutions.
Rutgers–New Brunswick Chancellor Francine Conway celebrated the achievement for Badri and the university.
“Keshav Badri is a role model for the Rutgers–New Brunswick community and a champion for our global role as a university where excellence meets opportunity and where the discovery of new knowledge makes a real difference,” Conway said.
Laura Collins, founding director of the Office of Scholar Development and Fellowship Advising at Rutgers–Camden, also applauded the accomplishment.
“I have been fortunate to work with both Amisha and Jacob, supporting their interests and observing their growth,” said Collins. “The university is thrilled for this recognition and looks forward to seeing how this will continue to advance each of them in their aspirations.”
Meet the scholars
Keshav Badri
School of Arts and Sciences
Rutgers–New Brunswick Honors College
Keshav Badri enjoys solving puzzles, be they of the jigsaw variety or ones involving theoretical condensed matter physics.
Badri is a junior attending the Honors College at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and the School of Arts and Sciences, where he is pursuing a bachelor of science degree in physics and mathematics. The Raritan, N.J., resident aims to better understand “emergent phenomena within thin films and heterostructures” – namely how stacking two or more layers of a single material can engineer its emergent properties.
As the most recent Goldwater Scholar from the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the past two years, Badri plans to pursue a doctoral degree in physics and work in theoretical condensed matter physics at a national lab or university.
“In some sense, it's a validation for me that I'm going in the right direction,” said Badri, whose physics major is focused on the professional track.
The 20-year-old said he applied for the scholarship because “I was really inspired by a few upperclassmen I've known who've gone through the application process. Their accomplishments motivated me to achieve as much as possible.”
As an undergraduate researcher for the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Badri's efforts in condensed matter research are twofold:
- He works in Associate Professor Jedediah H. Pixley’s theory group on research pertaining to cold atom lattice systems (experimental setups where neutral atoms are cooled to near absolute zero and trapped in a periodic potential created by interfering laser beams known as an optical lattice).
- Badri also works in Assistant Professor Shaowen Chen's experiment group to build nanoscale devices from twisted heterostructure materials.
“It's great that I've been able to do both theory and experiment,” Badri said. “Theory and experiment work very, very closely together in condensed matter physics. I really gained a better appreciation for doing experimental work, and I've also gained a better appreciation for theory and seeing how we can apply it to experiments. Being an undergraduate researcher has given me the opportunity to do both. And I think that's what has really made my experience.”
He added, “I want to express my sincere appreciation for my mentors because, realistically, I don't think I would be anywhere near where I am without them.”
READ THE FULL STORY, INCLUDING FEATURES ON THE CAMDEN STUDENTS: ‘Three Students Earn Goldwater Scholarships Recognizing Rising Stars in the Sciences’ | Rutgers Today