2026 Barry Goldwater Scholarship<\/a>, a national honor recognizing outstanding sophomores and juniors pursuing research careers in the sciences, engineering and mathematics.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe winners\u00a0are\u00a0Alexander DeLise, a junior from Tampa; Shiv Patel, a sophomore from Tallahassee; Sebastian Ruiz, a junior from West Palm Beach; and Jacob Scalabrin, a junior from Tampa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is the first time four FSU students have received the scholarship in the same year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Goldwater Scholarship serves as a shining example of future scientific progress, and the fact that FSU has consistently been a home for Goldwater scholars highlights the talent of our undergraduate STEM students,\u201d said\u00a0Bonnie Garcia-Gloeckner, associate director of FSU\u2019s Office of National Fellowships. \u201cAlex, Sebas, Shiv\u00a0and Jake are already establishing themselves as leading researchers in their fields, and I am excited to see what they do next and proud to have them recognized in this way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alexander DeLise\u00a0
\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Alexander-DeLise-Portrait-341x512.jpg\")
Alexander DeLise<\/p>\n
Alexander DeLise, a junior from Tampa, plans to pursue a doctoral degree in mathematical sciences\u00a0with a concentration in\u00a0artificial intelligence and machine learning.\u00a0He\u00a0aspires to develop interpretable model theory as a research scientist through open-source work at a frontier lab.\u00a0
For DeLise, the path to becoming a Goldwater Scholar was paved with curiosity, determination\u00a0and community support. He credits the university\u2019s flexibility and rich interdisciplinary environment for shaping his ambitions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFSU has provided me with the flexibility to pursue two degrees in applied mathematics and computational science,\u201d he said. \u201cAlthough both provide the foundational mathematical, scientific\u00a0and programming skills for their respective concentrations, within each degree program, I have been exposed to highly interdisciplinary research and ideas,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He highlights computational science as \u201ca truly unique major that combines the transformative field of artificial intelligence, programming\u00a0and high-performance computing with applications across the sciences and engineering.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
DeLise said that being a Presidential Scholar \u2014 FSU\u2019s premier merit scholarship \u2014 and\u00a0participating\u00a0in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and the Honors in the Major Program have provided him with\u00a0opportunities and hands-on experience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFSU is an ecosystem where undergraduate research is both accessible and actively cultivated,\u201d DeLise said. \u201cAt every stage, there are people, programs\u00a0and resources designed to help students take the next step.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
DeLise said that receiving the Goldwater Scholarship\u00a0validates\u00a0his\u00a0work and sets the stage for his future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a Goldwater Scholar reinforces my sense of purpose and responsibility to pursue impactful research, and to continue developing as a scientist capable of contributing to challenging, real-world problems.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shiv Patel\u00a0
\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Shiv-Patel-Headshot-342x512.jpg\")
Shiv Patel<\/p>\n
Shiv Patel, an exercise physiology\u00a0major from Tallahassee, will use his Goldwater Scholarship to chase his aspirations of becoming a physician-scientist specializing in biomedical engineering and computational oncology.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
A summer working with Dr. David Routman at Mayo Clinic\u2019s Department of Radiation Oncology played a pivotal role in setting Patel\u2019s career direction.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile contributing to projects focused on AI-supported toxicity assessment and radiotherapy workflows, I saw firsthand how emerging computational tools are already beginning to reshape how cancer care is delivered,\u201d he said. \u201cThat experience helped me realize that the future of medicine will depend not only on discovery, but on building reliable tools that translate research into safer and more consistent patient care. It confirmed my goal of pursuing a physician-scientist career focused on developing clinically integrated AI systems in oncology.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sophomore\u00a0credits FSU for cultivating his growth as a researcher, including his work in Dr. Jerome Irianto\u2019s laboratory at the College of Medicine. He said that experience introduced him to rigorous cancer research and helped shape his early scientific direction.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Irianto\u2019s mentorship has been instrumental in helping me grow as a student investigator and pursue increasingly translational work,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Patel also acknowledged the support from the Office of National Fellowships, which helped him pursue opportunities like the Goldwater Scholarship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReceiving the Goldwater Scholarship reinforces that the research direction I hope to pursue, developing clinically meaningful tools at the intersection of AI and cancer care, is both needed and impactful. It motivates me to continue building toward an M.D.\/Ph.D. career as a physician-scientist working to improve the safety,\u00a0consistency\u00a0and accessibility of oncology treatment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sebastian Ruiz\u00a0
\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sebas-Ruiz-Portrait-341x512.jpg\")
Sebastian Ruiz<\/p>\n
Sebastian Ruiz, a junior majoring in statistics\u00a0with a focus on psychology, aims to earn a\u00a0doctorate\u00a0in computational neuroscience, conduct research in computational psychiatry, and develop open-source tools to help communicate science to the public.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruiz\u00a0is driven to pursue this career path\u00a0for personal\u00a0reasons.\u00a0Before enrolling in college, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope to integrate my lived experiences as a patient into my research which might offer a path for even better treatments and therapies for people like me,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruiz, a transfer student\u00a0from West Palm\u00a0Beach,\u00a0credits FSU\u2019s\u00a0programs and supportive faculty for helping him chart his academic path. He noted that the flexibility of\u00a0the university\u2019s\u00a0statistics major allowed\u00a0him\u00a0to take courses across departments, including\u00a0scientific\u00a0computing,\u00a0mathematics\u00a0and\u00a0psychology.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inspired by the active campus community, Ruiz founded\u00a0CompNeuroSociety, a group dedicated to connecting undergraduates interested in computational neuroscience. The organization leads workshops and collaborative research projects, fostering engagement and professional development among students.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruiz\u00a0said that mentors\u00a0from the Office of National Fellowships\u00a0played a pivotal role in crafting his scholarship applications, and\u00a0that\u00a0participating\u00a0in the Florida Fellows program expanded his research opportunities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Ruiz said recognition as a Goldwater Scholar will\u00a0open\u00a0doors in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis recognition will\u00a0definitely give\u00a0me a boost of momentum and confidence when\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0be applying to post-baccalaureate and graduate programs next year,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cI think it will give my profile more credibility when\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0being reviewed by faculty in\u00a0highly selective\u00a0computational neuroscience programs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jacob\u00a0Scalabrin\u00a0
\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Jake-Scalabrin-Portrait-341x512.jpg\")
Jacob\u00a0Scalabrin<\/p>\n
Jacob Scalabrin, a junior majoring in computational science, seeks to leverage computational techniques to deepen understanding of the relationship between Earth\u2019s frozen water and global sea-level dynamics. After graduation, the Goldwater Scholar recipient will pursue a doctoral degree in geophysics with the goal of advancing both teaching and research in the field.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always enjoyed being in school and learning new things, so I knew I wanted a career where I would continue learning throughout my life,\u201d\u00a0Scalabrin\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cIt\u00a0is also important to me that my work be math intensive and have a positive impact on others.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Tampa\u00a0native\u00a0described a pivotal moment when his fascination with Antarctica led him to discover that scientists often travel there.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI care deeply\u00a0about\u00a0the climate, and I realized that being a scientist would satisfy what I wanted in a career for myself. From that realization, I became interested in cryosphere research,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scalabrin\u00a0said his experiences at FSU are preparing him for life after earning his bachelor\u2019s degree.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most invaluable skill I\u2019ve learned at FSU is how to write a cold email,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThat may seem simple, but it has opened the door for\u00a0nearly every\u00a0research opportunity I\u2019ve had.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He acknowledged the support of his\u00a0adviser\u00a0in the\u00a0College of Arts and Sciences\u2019\u00a0Department of Scientific Computing, Karey Fowler, and the guidance of\u00a0research faculty\u00a0Catherine Hancock, who taught him about perseverance in research.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scalabrin\u00a0also\u00a0highlighted the role of the Office of National Fellowships in helping him secure the scholarship.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe the Office of National Fellowships\u00a0is one of the most underutilized resources on campus,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cIt was only thanks to the help and guidance of Bonnie Garcia-Gloeckner that I was able to successfully apply for and receive this scholarship.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation is a federally endowed, independent agency\u00a0established\u00a0by law in 1986. The scholarship program honoring Senator Barry Goldwater was designed to\u00a0identify, encourage\u00a0and financially support outstanding undergraduates interested in pursuing research careers in the sciences,\u00a0engineering\u00a0and mathematics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0For more information about\u00a0the\u00a0Goldwater\u00a0Scholarship and working with the Office of National Fellowships, visit onf.fsu.edu<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(From left) FSU’s 2026 Goldwater Scholarship winners. Top row: Alexander DeLise, Shiv Patel. Second Row: Sebastian Ruiz, Jake…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230119,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-230118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Goldwater-winners-2026-1200x800.jpg\")
(From left) FSU’s 2026 Goldwater Scholarship winners. Top row: Alexander DeLise, Shiv Patel. Second Row: Sebastian Ruiz, Jake Scalabrin.\t\t<\/p>\n