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Chemistry junior earns prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship for undergraduate science

Margaret Steward ’26, a chemistry major and German studies minor at �����Ƶ has received a Barry Goldwater Scholarship for the 2025-2026 academic year. Steward was one of 441 students selected nationwide and will receive up to $7,500 to put toward academic-related expenses.

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, in an ongoing partnership with UWorld and the Department of Defense National Defense Education Programs (NDEP), chose recipients from an estimated pool of more than 5,000 college sophomores and juniors nominated by 445 academic institutions.

“I’m someone who undervalues my academic performance, so it’s nice to get recognition from someone who doesn’t know me and to be recognized for my potential as a scientist,” admitted Steward. “It makes me feel a lot more confident in my ability.” The scholarship also positions her as an even stronger candidate for graduate schools and for respected fellowships with research funding.

Named in honor of Senator Barry Goldwater, the scholarship was designed to identify, encourage, and financially support outstanding undergraduates interested in pursuing research careers in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics. Steward plans to earn a Ph.D. in organometallic or polymer chemistry and to research synthetic catalytic design for polymerization. One day she hopes to teach at the university level.

“The scholarship is one of the nation’s top awards for undergraduate STEM majors,” said James West, professor of biochemistry & molecular biology, biology, and chemistry at the College. “Margaret is undoubtedly deserving of this recognition given her outstanding performance as a student in the classroom and her extensive experience in organometallic chemistry research.” West and Alfredo Zuniga, assistant professor of neuroscience, serve as the campus co-representatives for the Goldwater Scholarship, and guided Steward on how to approach the application and her research statement.

Steward’s research statement leaned on her 2024 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) project at the University of Pennsylvania. REU is a federally funded program that supports intensive research by undergraduate students in any National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded area. Under her mentor, Santanu Malakar, a then postdoctoral fellow in the Karen Goldberg lab, Steward worked on developing a palladium-based catalyst for conversion of methane into methanol. “This was a neat project because it has direct applications to the real world with cleaner energy,” said Steward. She’s already been accepted to return to REU in 2025 at the University of Wisconsin.

“The secret to Margaret’s success is that she begins with a genuine love of learning,” said Paul Bonvallet, professor of chemistry at �����Ƶ. He submitted one of Steward’s three required recommendations for the scholarship. “Instead of fixating on grades or being right all the time, she asks fundamental curiosity-driven questions about how the natural world works. That is how a scientist’s mind works. The academic success and awards have followed not because Margaret put them first but because she put them last.”

Bonvallet has been at the College for 21 years and taught several students who became Goldwater awardees. He’s also taught five of Steward’s classes thus far. “I cannot think of a person better suited to represent the next generation of young scientists,” he said. But his praise for Steward extends well beyond academics. “Margaret represents the liberal arts ideal in the breadth and depth of her engagement at �����Ƶ. In addition to her stellar credentials in science, she is a varsity tennis athlete, an avid musician who plays piano and bass, and she also speaks Spanish and German.”

The Seattle, Washington, native said she came to �����Ƶ because it was the perfect combination between academic opportunity in terms of research and rigor she was looking for. She also emphasized that it’s a friendly place. “I can go to my professors with any academic or personal issue, and they’d be willing to help,” said Steward, who already assists classmates as a peer tutor and as an organic chemistry laboratory assistant.

As she looks toward graduate school and one day becoming a professor herself, Steward wants to model the support and enthusiasm she’s been shown by her own professors—both during the application process and throughout her time on campus. “I want to make sure my potential undergrad or graduate students know I’m a source of comfort and support for them while also holding them to a high standard of academic integrity and ability.”

Posted in Homepage Featured, News on April 28, 2025.