A federally endowed agency, the Goldwater Foundation was established in 1986 in honor of Sen. Barry Goldwater. The foundation provides up to $7,500 per year for educational expenses to about 200 college sophomores and juniors nationwide in hopes of supporting future scientists, mathematicians and engineers. Two-hundred-eleven Goldwater Scholars were selected this year on academic merit from a field of about 1,300 applicants.
Mark Nail, a mechanical engineering major from Leawood, Kansas, received honorable mention recognition for the Goldwater scholarship. He can reapply next year. Of the four applications that the university was allowed to submit, three students were recognized.
As a student in the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management, Nail has researched drones with Sebastian Elbaum, Bessey Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, and Carrick Detweiler, associate professor of computer science and engineering. That research has focused on depositing sensors underground using an unmanned aerial vehicle. Nail plans to pursue a doctorate in mechanical engineering and conduct research in robotics at a corporate or university laboratory.
—Photo and story courtesy of Nebraska Today