Sophomore and Junior Earn Goldwater Scholarships

South Building. (UNC photo by Jon Gardiner '98)

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program has named Carolina sophomore Scott Emmons and junior Sarah Miller as 2017 Goldwater Scholars.

Joshua Gray, a junior, was awarded an honorable mention.

The scholarship provides up to $7,500 a year for eligible educational expenses to students who excel in academics and who plan to pursue research careers in science, mathematics, engineering and computer disciplines.

The foundation selected 240 scholarship recipients for 2017. Emmons, Miller and Gray were chosen from a field of 1,286 students who were nominated by 470 colleges and universities nationwide.

Scott Emmons

Emmons, who is majoring in computer science and mathematics, is a Robertson Scholar and an Honors Carolina student. At Carolina, he has done research in visualization of microbiome data and, in the math department, is researching network theory. He spent last summer teaching middle school math in the Mississippi delta.

While in high school, Emmons co-founded Sparq Creative Solutions LLC to help small-business owners organize their resources and target them efficiently. He plans to pursue a doctorate in computer science, conduct research in network sciences and teach at the university level.

Sarah Miller

Miller, who is majoring in chemistry with a business administration minor, has been doing research on a noncoding RNA that regulates the transition to a differentiated (nonstem cell) fate in embryonic stem cells. She plans to pursue a medical degree and a doctorate in epigenetics and hopes to conduct research regarding long noncoding RNA. Her goal is to be principal investigator in a medical school laboratory at a research university, investigating epigenetic influences of certain RNA as they relate to human health.

Congress established the Goldwater Scholarship program in 1986 to honor the late Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona, who served in the U.S. Senate for 30 years. The first awards were given in 1989.