Baylor Junior Receives Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

by Judy Long

Baylor University student Delip Patel, a junior University Scholar from Webster, is one of 300 recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate scholarship in the United States and its territories in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.
This year's scholarship recipients were announced by Peggy Goldwater Clay, chair of the board of trustees of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.
"Goldwater is a national competition and the name is recognized as one that rewards excellence," said Dr. Ann Rushing, associate professor of biology and the Goldwater Scholarship representative on the Baylor campus. "There were 1,093 nominations of top students at the best schools in the nation, and only 300 scholarships were awarded, so it's a significant honor to receive it."
The scholarship is designed to encourage outstanding math, science and engineering students to pursue careers in research. Patel, who plans to integrate clinical medicine and pharmaceutical research, has completed projects on bioterrorism at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He is actively conducting cancer research and working on his honors thesis on restenosis with Dr. Kevin Pinney, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry and co-founding member of Baylor's Center for Drug Discovery.
"I value the sanctity of human life and feel that such a career will allow me to contribute to the advancement of society," Patel said. "It is such an honor to receive this prestigious award. I believe it will further me towards achieving my aspirations."
The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on Nov. 14, 1986, and honors the late Sen. Barry M. Goldwater.
Scholarships are awarded to sophomores and juniors. The award covers the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year for two years beginning with the 2003-2004 academic year.
Thirty-one of this year's scholars are mathematics majors, 210 are science majors, 45 are majoring in engineering and 12 are computer science-related majors. Many of the scholars have dual majors in a variety of mathematics, science, engineering and computer disciplines.
For more information, contact Rushing at (254) 710-2911.