Five Michigan State University students have earned the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, a university record for a single cohort of the award. This places MSU at 60 Goldwater Scholars since the award’s inception.
The Goldwater Foundation seeks sophomores and juniors committed to a research career in STEM fields with the potential for significant future contribution in their chosen field. The award provides $7,500 per year in funding for undergraduate tuition and living expenses.
“I’m proud to congratulate Erik Brodsky, Jesse Sandhu, Samantha Schulte, Grace Showerman and Caden Wade on their recognition by the Goldwater Scholarship program for their promise in their respective fields,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz. “Goldwater Scholars are driven by curiosity and the opportunity to make a difference in critical areas of discovery and represent the next generation of leaders in natural science, engineering, and mathematics.”
For the 2025 Goldwater Scholarship competition, 1,350 outstanding undergraduates were nominated by 445 institutions. Brodsky, Sandhu, Schulte, Showerman and Wade were among 441 new scholars selected. All five students are members of MSU’s Honors College.
“Congratulations to these five amazing students who are so deserving of these awards. This is the first time MSU has had five Goldwater Scholars in one year,” said Assistant Dean and Director of the MSU Distinguished Student Awards Office Kristin Janka.
“These Goldwater Scholars have diverse research interests with majors in three colleges, and all are Honors College members. Thank you to the faculty mentors and Distinguished Student Awards Office student mentors Aaron Philip, Libby Ashby and Jaxon George, who helped to make this achievement possible.” Janka said.
The funding for these awards is a collaboration between the U.S. Congress and the Department of Defense’s National Defense Education Program.
Erik Brodsky: Pushing boundaries in mathematical research
Brodsky is a third-year Honors College student majoring in advanced mathematics and computational mathematics through the College of Natural Science.
“I am extremely honored to receive the Goldwater Scholarship,” he said. “I would like to thank my research mentors, fellow students, friends, and family. I could not have made it this far without their support!”
“Erik exemplifies the passion Honors students have to dive into their academic interests,” said Honors College Interim Dean Glenn Chambers. “From teaching others as an undergraduate learning assistant to pursuing research as a professorial assistant — an opportunity offered to about 250 Honors students to work with a faculty mentor and stipend — Erik has been a leader in the field of mathematics at MSU. On behalf of the Honors College, we congratulate Erik on being named a Goldwater Scholar.”
Brodsky has been involved in various research projects throughout his time at MSU. Under the guidance of Associate Professor Mark Iwen, Brodsky worked with census data from Baltimore, Md. to examine public transit equity. With Associate Professor Leonid Chekhov and Professor Michael Shapiro, he researched cluster structures of the symplectic groupoid and Teichmüller space.
Brodsky’s mentor Chekhov said, “Erik is one of the brightest students in his generation.”
Chekhov said Brodsky is excelling in both senior undergraduate and graduate courses, in addition to research. “He already co-authored two papers submitted to peer-reviewed journals,” Chekhov said. “He has all qualities for becoming a true leader in research and development.”
Brodsky is also a member of the MSU Mathematics Club and MSU Math Department Undergraduate Studies Committee. In the last three years, he was a consecutive winner of the university’s annual Herzog Math Competition.
Jesse Sandhu: Amplifying impact in research and community service
Sandhu is a third-year Honors College student majoring in chemical physics through the College of Natural Science.
“I would like to thank my research mentor Dr. Marcos Dantus for his guidance and mentorship during my undergraduate research career,” Sandhu said. “I would also like to thank my professors and family for their continued support throughout my academic journey at MSU.”
Sandhu has been very active in research projects with Professor Marcos Dantus. His work ultimately led him to co-author five publications in journals such as Nature Communications, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters and Communications Chemistry.
“Jesse is an exceptional individual committed to pursuing a Ph.D. and advancing early disease detection through lasers and radiology,” Dantus said.
“His dedication to science is evident — he has coauthored five publications, with more on the way, and has volunteered in hospice care. I am confident he will excel in his Ph.D. studies and become a creative inventor of new methods for early disease diagnosis,” Dantus said.
Beyond his research, Sandhu has worked as a tutor for MSU student-athletes and volunteered for both Habitat for Humanity and McLaren Hospice.
“Jesse has already received several recognitions for his commitment to research, including through his role as an Honors College Wielenga Research Scholar,” Chambers said.
“In addition to balancing his academic commitments, Jesse demonstrates the Honors College’s commitment to community engagement through his volunteer service at McLaren Hospice. On behalf of the Honors College, congratulations to Jesse on becoming a Goldwater Scholar,” Chambers said.
Samantha Schulte: Making science and engineering more accessible
Schulte is a third-year Honors College student majoring in chemical engineering through the College of Engineering. She is a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the Chemical Engineering Honor Society.
Schulte has worked as an undergraduate learning assistant and performed industry research in a summer internship with Merck. Her research experience at MSU includes work on protein engineering for enhanced disease resistance in crops under Assistant Professor Daniel Woldring.
“I am incredibly grateful to have been selected for the Goldwater Scholarship. I would like to thank my research mentors Dr. Daniel Woldring, Ben Dolgikh, and Dr. Stephanie Chun,” Schulte said. “I would not be where I am today without them. I am very excited to see where my research takes me next.”
“Given Sam’s exceptional skills and passion for protein engineering, I am confident that she will make significant contributions to the scientific community,” Woldring said. “Her ability to integrate computational modeling with experimental techniques enables her to approach problems holistically.”
“Samantha has used her time at MSU to truly dedicate herself to the field of chemical engineering,” Chambers said. “Her work in the Woldring Lab has made great contributions to research on campus, and her role as an undergraduate learning assistant has impacted her fellow students. From the Honors College, congratulations to Samantha on being named a Goldwater Scholar.”
Woldring said Schulte also makes a community impact.
“Sam has consistently demonstrated a commitment to service and outreach, going above and beyond — creating activities for Girls Math and Science Day, tutoring undergraduate students, mentoring fellow research lab mates — to make science and engineering more accessible to diverse audiences,” Woldring said.
Grace Showerman: Diving into research across oceans and universities
Grace Showerman is a third-year Honors College student majoring in astrophysics, as well as computational and applied mathematics in the College of Natural Science.
Showerman volunteers at the MSU Observatory and Abrams Planetarium and connects first-year astrophysics students with research and outreach opportunities.
She has participated in radio astronomy research at MSU with Professor Laura Chomiuk and Professor Jay Strader, produced work for the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy under Professor Benjamin Shappee, and joined the MSU Observatory Research Program led by Chomiuk and Assistant Professor Joey Rodriguez.
“I am deeply honored by this award and grateful to the Goldwater Foundation. I want to especially thank my research mentors, Drs. Laura Chomiuk, Jay Strader, Ben Shappee, and Sumit Sarbadhicary, as well as Willem Hoogendam and Dhvanil Desai, for their incredible investment in me as a researcher and person. To these people and to Michigan State University, thank you from the bottom of my heart!” Showerman said.
“It has been such a pleasure to have Grace in our astrophysics major, and in my research group! Grace brings her intelligence, conscientiousness, and diligence to everything she does, and I can trust that when a project is in Grace’s hands, it will be done right,” Chomiuk said. “She had a great future ahead of her and is incredibly deserving of the Goldwater Scholarship.”
“Grace’s commitment to astrophysics as well as computational and applied mathematics best demonstrates the multipotentiality of Honors students,” Chambers saif. “On behalf of the Honors College, congratulations to Grace on being named a Goldwater Scholar.”
Caden Wade: Digging through crop and research
Caden Wade is a third-year Honors College student majoring in crop and soil science in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Wade has contributed to various research projects at MSU. He has assessed nitrate leaching in Michigan sandy soils between fertilizers under Assistant Professor Younsuk Dong. Wade has also researched climate impacts in inland aquatic food systems with Associate Professor Ben Belton and Assistant Professor Abigail Bennett.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected as a Goldwater Scholar. I am thankful that my research activities will be strengthened due to this funding’s support,” Wade said. “The encouragement from my mentors Dr. Younsuk Dong, Dr. Ben Belton, Dr. Abigail Bennett, Erin Bosch-Hannah, and Bill Dalles were integral throughout my undergraduate education, and I could not have come this far without them.”
“Caden Wade is an outstanding student and researcher, demonstrating a strong dedication to agricultural science and leadership. It’s been a pleasure mentoring him and watching him grow into a skilled and innovative scientist,” Dong said. “I have no doubt he will make significant contributions to agricultural and environmental sciences in the future.”
“Caden’s commitment to soil sciences honors the history of agricultural studies at MSU,” Chambers said. “From his role as an undergraduate teaching assistant, to a professorial assistant, to a research assistant — all in different departments around campus — Caden has displayed a commitment to diverse research experiences. On behalf of the Honors College, congratulations to Caden on becoming a Goldwater Scholar.”
Wade has also served as a volunteer for the Westside Lansing Farmers’ Market. He is a member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
This story originally appeared on the Distinguished Student Awards Office website.
