Newswise — Cassandra Overney ’21 has been awarded a Goldwater Scholarship. Overney is among just 496 undergraduates nationwide to be named Goldwater Scholars in 2019. She was chosen from a field of over 5,000 applicants and 1,200 nominees from 443 academic institutions.
Founded in recognition of U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater, this scholarship provides financial support for students who are planning to pursue a Ph.D. and a career in STEM research. Goldwater Scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, room and board and books, up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.
Overney is especially interested in interdisciplinary research. During her time at Olin, Overney’s work has touched on both microbiology research as well as software development.
“The award was a surprise but it is very, very encouraging. It makes me feel like I’m on the right track,” said Overney.
This summer at Carnegie Mellon University, Overney will be conducting empirical research methods on open source software ecosystems by exploring the toxicity of GitHub issue threads.
“The Goldwater is a highly competitive scholarship. In order to win, a student needs to be very clear on the path they would like to pursue as an undergraduate and post-graduate student,” said Aarti Chellakere, Assistant Director of Post-Graduate Planning. “From the time Cassandra came here as a first-year student, she was focused, passionate and interested in new opportunities. Applying for the Goldwater takes a lot of effort and she dedicated herself to the process. We are thrilled for her!”
Previous Olin winners include Elizabeth Threlkeld ’13, Brendan Quinlivan ’14 and Jeffery Holzgrafe’15.
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