THREE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS NAMED BARRY M. GOLDWATER SCHOLARS

   COLUMBUS -- Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships have been awarded to three undergraduate students at The Ohio State University out of 304 recipients nationwide.

   “Each institution can nominate only four students, and to have three of four is really a remarkable thing,” said John Cooley, assistant dean and administrative director of Ohio State’s Colleges of the Arts and Sciences. “It’s enormously prestigious and says a lot about them. It says good things about Ohio State, that we really produce some of the best students in the country who are going to go on and be leading researchers and administrators in their fields.”

   Recipients, all juniors, are: Bradley Blaser of CUYAHOGA FALLS, Matthew Dorsten of CENTERVILLE and Ilya Finkler of COLUMBUS.

   The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was created in 1986 in honor of the Arizona senator. The scholarship, awarded to undergraduate sophomores and juniors, aims to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

   Students were nominated by their college or university and were selected by an independent review committee appointed by the Foundation. The one- and two-year scholarships cover tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. All Ohio State recipients will receive a one-year scholarship.

   Dorsten, a physics and mathematics major, has been working in the Ohio State Nuclear Theory Group under Professor Richard Furnstahl on so-called effective field theories, which approximate the interactions between nucleons (for example: protons and neutrons) at low energy. After graduation, he plans to earn a Ph.D. and continue conducting research in theoretical nuclear physics. Dorsten, a 1996 graduate of Centerville High School in Centerville, is the son of Paul and Helen Dorsten, 8921 Rooks Mill Lane, Centerville.

   Blaser, a molecular genetics major, has been working as an undergraduate researcher in the laboratory of Hay-Oak Park, assistant professor of molecular genetics. After graduation, he plans to earn a Ph.D. and conduct research in molecular biology. Blaser, a 1996 graduate of Cuyahoga Falls High School, is the son of Mark and Cindy Blaser, 1610 26th St., Cuyahoga Falls.

   Finkler, a mathematics and physics major, is researching the laser power-dependence of sound velocity in Ge(x)Se(1-x) binary glasses under research adviser Ratnasingham Sooryakumar, a physics professor at Ohio State. He plans to attend graduate school and major in either mathematics or physics. Finkler, a 1996 graduate of Liberty High School in Youngstown, is the son of Anna Sheynina, 1874 Tamarack Circle North Apt. B, Columbus.

Contact: John Cooley, Arts and Sciences, (614) 292-5104