FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Two University of Arkansas honors students have been named 2022 Goldwater Scholars, an award for top students in mathematics, science and engineering.

According to a press release, juniors Mary Jia and Joseph Roll were each named among the newest scholars and will each receive a scholarship of up to $7,500 from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Foundation.

Jia is a Stuttgart native and an honors biomedical engineering major. Roll is from Joplin, Missouri and an honors physics and mathematics major.

The Goldwater Scholarship is the most prestigious undergraduate STEM scholarship in the country. It recognizes students who begin research early in their careers and who promise to continue research as a career path. They could not have chosen better than Mary Jia and Joseph Roll. Both have been engaged in research since their freshman years (and even before) and both are stellar students working with supportive faculty and are on an upward career trajectory that will launch them into a world of work marked by new discoveries that will benefit us all.

Charles Robinson, University of Arkansas interim Chancellor

More than 5,000 students competed nationwide for the Goldwater Scholarship this year. It is the nation’s most prestigious award for undergraduate students who plan doctoral studies and research careers in the fields of math, science, and engineering.

Jia’s primary research focuses on developing a prime editing solution for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and she is supported by a State of Arkansas Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Roll’s primary research examines second harmonic generation of SnS monolayers, work that is supported by a State of Arkansas Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship. His contribution to an experimental research team to analyze a thin slab of SmSbTe has been published in Advanced Quantum Technologies.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship was established by Congress in 1986 to honor the United States senator. The purpose of the program is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields. Universities and colleges may nominate up to four students each year.