Three Arts and Sciences students, juniors Emily Osborne, Eitan Rothberg and Sarthak Shah, have been named 2020 Goldwater Scholars, the most prestigious national award for undergraduate researchers in science, math and engineering. Daniel Lesman, a junior honors student majoring in biomedical sciences, also received the award. 

Emily Osborne is a junior honors student majoring in physics with a minor in statistics. She aims to earn a PhD in biophysics to conduct research in active matter systems and teach at the university level. Osborne’s research is advised by the Department of Physics’ Professor Ratnasingham Sooryakumar and graduate student Christopher Pierce.

Eitan Rothberg is a junior honors student and Eminence Fellow majoring in computer and information science. He aims to earn a PhD in computer science to research socially responsible artificial intelligence. Rothberg’s research is advised by Professor Raghu Machiraju.

Sarthak Shah is a junior honors student and Eminence Fellow majoring in neuroscience with a minor in philosophy. He aims to earn an MD/PhD in neuroscience to formulate translational approaches to treat traumatic brain injury and other neurological disorders. Shah’s research is advised by Zachary Weil, assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience.

A total of 396 scholarships were awarded to sophomores and juniors on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,343 students who were nominated by colleges and universities nationwide. It is estimated that over 5,000 students applied for their university’s nomination for the award. However, each institution may only nominate four students (plus one additional transfer student) for this award.  

Goldwater Scholars receive an award to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500. This is the third time in Ohio State history in which all four nominees have received the award; the previous two times occurred in 2007 and 2019.

For more information on the Goldwater Scholarship, please visit https://goldwater.scholarsapply.org. Students interested in applying for the Goldwater Scholarship or other nationally competitive awards should contact fellowships@osu.edu.