Recently, Sara Ehlert, a Electrical Engineering and Mathematics major was awarded the Goldwater Scholarship on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,107 students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. Of the 1,107 students nominated by their institutions, 271 scholarships were awarded. Established in 1986, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was created to award scholarships to college students studying to become scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
As a part of the application, students have to write a research proposal. Sara wrote about her work with Dr. Aaron Hawkins. For the past 2 years, they have been working on applying techniques from microelectronic fabrication to the creation of miniature analyzers called lab-on-a-chip. Specifically, they are working on creating a chip to filter blood. Sara says "I am very appreciative of the support Dr. Hawkins and BYU has given me in order to allow opportunities like this scholarship to be possible. It has given me even more confidence to know that my research and education is important."