Four NDSU students have been chosen as the university’s institutional candidates for the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. They include Katrina Gellerman, Nicholas Peterka, Leslee Storlie and Jason Thomas (not pictured).

“All four students are outstanding candidates for the Goldwater Scholarship,” said R.S. Krishnan, associate vice president for academic affairs and chair of the NDSU Goldwater Scholarship Review Committee. “Each of them certainly is qualified for this honor, and their academic excellence demonstrates the high standard of quality that we have at NDSU.”

Established by Congress in 1986, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was created to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering to foster excellence in those fields.

Gellerman is a sophomore from Bismarck, N.D., majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. She specializes in human and bacterial genetics, and she plans to pursue a doctorate in molecular biology. “I wish to conduct genetics research pertaining to human health,” she wrote in her application. “This includes investigating the genetic causes and using bacterial genomic knowledge to develop methods for treating pathogens.”

Among her honors are the Presidential Scholars Program, North Dakota Scholars Program, Klosterman Merit Scholarship, Freshman Scholar Award Scholarship and NDSU Book Award Scholarship. A member of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, she is a founder and leader of the University Physics Study Group. Gellerman was recommended for the honor by Kenton Rodgers, professor of chemistry; Gudrun Lukat-Rodgers, research assistant professor; and Seth Rasmussen, associate professor of chemistry.

Peterka is a junior from Park River, N.D., who is majoring in civil engineering. His goal is to earn a doctorate in material science and conduct research as a senior investigator for a biomaterials or biomedical laboratory. “I have always wanted to be an engineer,” Peterka wrote in his application. “I have always been interested in engineering and how things are made.”

Selected to the Academic All-State Team in 2006, Peterka received the Concordia College Faculty Scholarship. He is a member of the Materials Research Society, American Society of Civil Engineers, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Golden Key International Honor Society. He was recommended by Dinesh Katti, chair and professor of civil engineering; Kalpana Katti, professor of civil engineering; and graduate student Priyanthi Amarasinghe.

A native of Hastings, Minn., Storlie is a sophomore majoring in civil engineering. Her goal is to earn a doctorate in civil engineering, with an emphasis on structural engineering to withstand earthquakes. “In this area, I can make lives safer and potentially save the lives of others,” Storlie wrote in her application.

Storlie has received Scholastic Achievement Awards in biology, mathematics analysis and chemistry. She received the Welshon’s Family Scholarship and the NDSU Freshman Book Award. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, NDSU’s Steel Bridge Team and the Society of Women Engineers. She was recommended by Jim Coykendall, professor and chair of mathematics; Magdy Abdelrahman, assistant professor of civil engineering; and Brant Bigger, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service biological science lab technician.

Thomas grew up on a farm near Moorhead, Minn., and is a sophomore majoring in industrial engineering. His goal is to earn a doctorate in industrial engineering and gain a management position in the area of microelectronic research with an emphasis in advanced packaging. In his application, Thomas wrote he could develop a “streamlined link between the research engineers, the technicians and research assistants,” noting that “as an industrial engineer, I can help identify and correct several areas of inefficiency that are driving up the cost.”

A recipient of an NDSU Presidential Scholarship and Dollars for Scholars, Thomas participates in the Institute of Industrial Engineers, Math Club and Bison Bow Hunters. He was recommended by John Cook, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering; Syed Ahmad, manager of engineering services at the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering; and Jim Coykendall, professor and chair of mathematics.

Krishnan expects the Goldwater Scholarship recipients to be announced in late May or early June.