Representing fields from neuroscience to immunology, two Pitt juniors have been awarded the 2026 Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s most prestigious scholarship aimed specifically at STEM students. The awardees bring Pitt’s total number of Goldwater Scholars to 69.
This year’s winners are Katelyn Chen and Alec Scuitto, both students in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and the David C. Frederick Honors College.
“Alec and Katelyn represent the best of the Pitt research community in their talent, dedication, curiosity and drive to change the world,” said Nicola Foote, dean of the David C. Frederick Honors College. “The Goldwater Scholarship is a great honor and a sign of the clear potential of these exceptional students to contribute to their fields and to society.”
Established in 1986 to honor the work of work of U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, the Goldwater Scholarship provides funding for tuition, books, fees and room and board for the country’s most promising undergraduate researchers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.
This year’s winners were among the 454 selected from a pool of 1,485 applicants this year for the honor, joining Pitt’s history of awardees including Satyaj Bhargava in 2025 and Oluwatofunmi Abiola and Richard Fang in 2024.
“For four decades, the Goldwater Scholarship has served as one of America’s most prestigious national scholarships,” said Chancellor Joan Gabel. “We are so proud at the University of Pittsburgh to have two students among this year’s scholars, which not only clearly reflects the spirit of ‘It’s Possible at Pitt,’ but also propels these talented scholars’ trajectory in becoming our nation’s next generation of research leaders.”
Interested in applying for a prestigious award? The Office of National Scholarships and Post-Graduate Success, housed in the Frederick Honors College, helps all students across the University applying for national and global scholarships.
Meet the scholars
Katelyn Chen (pictured, right), biology and Spanish major. Chen studies in the lab of School of Medicine Associate Professor Alison Kohan, focusing on lipid transport in the body, a line of research that has implications for cardiovascular and inflammatory disease. She’s also editor-in-chief of the Frederick Honors College’s award-winning journal, the Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review.
“In the lab, I often think in the long-term, especially in basic science where the clinical or real-life implications of my experiments can feel far off in the future,” Chen said. “This recognition serves as a validation of the significance of the research I have done thus far and motivation to keep at it, knowing that I’m on the right track.”
Chen plans to use her Spanish degree to volunteer as a medical interpreter and teacher as she prepares to apply to MD/PhD programs to focus on immunology and endocrinology.
Alec Sciutto (pictured, left), neuroscience major. Sciutto performs neurology research in the lab of School of Medicine Professor Franca Cambi on the interaction between different types of cells — glia and neurons — in the brain. He serves as a teaching assistant in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Neuroscience and is a STEM tutor for Pitt athletics while also participating in Club Track and Field.
“Not only does the Goldwater Scholarship open many doors when it comes to graduate education in STEM, but the introspective practice of putting together an application for the Goldwater is equally as valuable,” said Sciutto.
He will participate in a summer research internship at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, and intends to obtain a PhD in neuroscience and pursue academic research.
Photography by Aimee Obidzinski