Eric Markarian ’26, Jennifer Hamad ’26, Katherine Healzer ’26 and Michelle Park ’26 received this year’s Goldwater scholarship, joining the 113 Stanford students who have earned the title since 1989, the scholarship’s inaugural year.
“Becoming a Goldwater Scholar is a testament to the life-long commitment I have made to serve humanity and science through academic research,” Hamad wrote.
Goldwater Scholars receive an annual fund of $7,500 for academic achievement in “natural sciences, engineering and mathematics” for the duration of their college education. This year, a total of 441 college sophomores and juniors across the country received the award.
The Goldwater Scholarship is named after Arizona senator and Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater and was established as a “living memorial” to him.
The four Stanford Goldwater recipients each discovered a passion for research at a young age.
Park, who is studying engineering physics and pursuing a coterminal degree in computational and mathematical engineering, first became interested in physics after reading Neil deGrasse Tyson’s books and watching “Cosmos” while growing up.
“I had my very first science fair project in eighth grade where I made a model of the solar system with magnets,” Park said. “That was my first exposure [to] research.”
Park is currently a researcher in physics professor Risa Wechsler’s galaxy formation and cosmology group. She recently started working on a complex cosmological modeling project, using computer simulations of the universe to “bridge the gap between what we observe and what our models predict about how galaxies have evolved over time,” Park wrote.
Markarian began clinical volunteering in high school and came to Stanford interested in the pre-medical track. He cemented this passion when he received his first research position freshman year in the Airan Lab, where he still works.
The lab is investigating whether focused ultrasound can remove disease-related brain byproducts — such as those from Alzheimer’s, strokes or hemorrhages — to reduce long-term damage.
“A big part of what I’ve been doing over the last couple years is figuring out if we can get things out of the brain with this modulation tech,” Markarian said.
Markarian decided to create his own undergraduate major, bioengineering and health systems design, after feeling misaligned with biology, human biology and bioengineering (BioE). The major, he said, is “a mix of BioE” with “engineering, tech and public health.”
Markarian hopes to make an impact in healthcare by engineering medical technologies. “You can make something, but if it’s not made for the people who actually need it, and they can’t access it, then in my opinion there was no point in making it,” he said.
Hamad was first exposed to scientific research when she was 12 years old. “I knew it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she wrote to The Daily. Her research today relates to investigating unsolved medical problems, such as cancer and HIV.
Healzer currently works as a medical researcher. She studies biology and was inspired to become a researcher with the goal of “curing blindness” by “reversing the progression of glaucoma,” the world’s leading cause of irreversible blindness, she wrote.
Several of the students cited support from professors and the principal investigators in their labs, emphasizing the importance of mentorship in inspiring their research. The Goldwater Scholarship also includes a program that matches students with mentors in similar fields.
Park shared that she met geophysics and electrical engineering professor Dustin Schroeder at a national tournament in middle school and has been his mentee ever since. “[I am] deeply grateful for his incredible mentorship and support over the years,” Park said.
Students pointed out that the community of Goldwater Scholars has already been a rewarding one.
“The Goldwater community has been deeply inspiring, as it is a group of students from across the country who are incredibly passionate about science and discovery,” Healzer wrote to The Daily. “I have enjoyed connecting with other scholars, sharing ideas and learning about their diverse areas of research.”