Chemical Engineering major Samantha Schulte is among five Michigan State University students to earn the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, a university record for a single cohort of the award. This places MSU at 60 Goldwater Scholars since the award’s inception.
The Goldwater Foundation seeks sophomores and juniors committed to a research career in STEM fields with the potential for significant future contribution in their chosen field. The award provides $7,500 per year in funding for undergraduate tuition and living expenses.
“I’m proud to congratulate Erik Brodsky, Jesse Sandhu, Samantha Schulte, Grace Showerman, and Caden Wade on their recognition by the Goldwater Scholarship program for their promise in their respective fields,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz. “Goldwater Scholars are driven by curiosity and the opportunity to make a difference in critical areas of discovery and represent the next generation of leaders in natural science, engineering, and mathematics.”
For the 2025 Goldwater Scholarship competition, 1,350 outstanding undergraduates were nominated by 445 institutions. Brodsky, Sandhu, Schulte, Showerman, and Wade were among 441 new scholars selected. All five students are members of MSU’s Honors College.
“Congratulations to these five amazing students who are so deserving of these awards. This is the first time MSU has had five Goldwater Scholars in one year,” said Assistant Dean and Director of the MSU Distinguished Student Awards Office Kristin Janka.
“These Goldwater Scholars have diverse research interests with majors in three colleges, and all are Honors College members. Thank you to the faculty mentors and Distinguished Student Awards Office student mentors Aaron Philip, Libby Ashby, and Jaxon George, who helped to make this achievement possible.” Janka said.
The funding for these awards is a collaboration between the U.S. Congress and the Department of Defense’s National Defense Education Program.
Samantha Schulte: Making science and engineering more accessible
Schulte is a third-year Honors College student majoring in chemical engineering through the College of Engineering. She is a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the Chemical Engineering Honor Society.
Schulte has worked as an undergraduate learning assistant and performed industry research in a summer internship with Merck. Her research experience at MSU includes work on protein engineering for enhanced disease resistance in crops under Assistant Professor Daniel Woldring.
“I am incredibly grateful to have been selected for the Goldwater Scholarship. I would like to thank my research mentors Dr. Daniel Woldring, Ben Dolgikh, and Dr. Stephanie Chun,” Schulte said. “I would not be where I am today without them. I am very excited to see where my research takes me next.”
“Given Sam’s exceptional skills and passion for protein engineering, I am confident that she will make significant contributions to the scientific community,” Woldring said. “Her ability to integrate computational modeling with experimental techniques enables her to approach problems holistically.”
“Samantha has used her time at MSU to truly dedicate herself to the field of chemical engineering,” Honors College Interim Dean Glenn Chambers said. “Her work in the Woldring Lab has made great contributions to research on campus, and her role as an undergraduate learning assistant has impacted her fellow students. From the Honors College, congratulations to Samantha on being named a Goldwater Scholar.”
Woldring said Schulte also makes a community impact.
“Sam has consistently demonstrated a commitment to service and outreach, going above and beyond – creating activities for Girls Math and Science Day, tutoring undergraduate students, mentoring fellow research lab mates – to make science and engineering more accessible to diverse audiences,” Woldring said.
Schulte was previously a part of the Honors College's professorial assistantship program, where she was paired with a faculty mentor and received a stipend.
Original story appeared on the Honors College website.
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page