Elisabeth MacColl ’16 has been named a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar for the 2014-15 academic year. She is among 283 scholars from across the U.S. to receive the Goldwater, the premier national undergraduate award in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.
MacColl is a biology and Hispanic studies major at Hamilton.
In 2013 MacColl received the Benjamin Walworth Arnold Prize Scholarship, given to the member of each class with the best academic record, and the Brockway Prize awarded to the first-year student with the best academic record. She also received the Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize, given to the 10 first-year students with the highest GPAs, and the Hansmann Science Student Grant to fund summer research.
MacColl has been conducting research on the parasite Ich in Hamilton Professor Wei-Jen Chang’s biochemistry lab. This summer she will conduct vascular research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
MacColl is a Spanish tutor at Clinton elementary school, a Hispanic Studies TA, founder and member of the intramural lacrosse team and participated in the Alternative Spring Break trip to Nicaragua in March.
After graduating from Hamilton MacColl plans to obtain a Ph.D in molecular biology and teach at the college level. She is a graduate of Abington High School, daughter of Mary and N.A. (Scott) MacColl of Jenkintown, Pa.
The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,166 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. Virtually all recipients intend to obtain a Ph.D. as their degree objective. 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.
The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established in 1986. The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
Since its first award in 1989, the Foundation has bestowed more than 7,163 scholarships worth approximately $46 million. The Trustees plan to award about 300 scholarships for the 2015–2016 academic year.
