Clarkson University Student Jeffrey Smith of Utica, N.Y., Awarded Goldwater Scholarship Honorable Mention

2014 Apr 3

Clarkson University junior Jeffrey Adam Smith , a physics and mathematics double major, from Utica, N.Y., recently received a Goldwater Scholarship honorable mention.

Of more than 4,000 institutions nationwide, Clarkson is in the top one percent for the number of Goldwater Scholars in the past five years.

30 Clarkson University students have received this highly coveted award since the scholarships were first awarded in 1989. This is the 15th consecutive year that Clarkson Honors Program students have received Goldwaters.

The Goldwater Scholarship is the most prestigious award in the United States given to undergraduates studying in mathematics, science and engineering. Only 283 scholarships were awarded for the 2014-2015 academic year.

Smith, a graduate of Thomas R. Proctor High School in Utica, N.Y., is a junior pursuing a double major in physics and mathematics with a minor in electrical engineering. As a McNair Scholar, he has conducted research at Clarkson University under Professor Ming-Cheng Cheng since his freshman year. He has studied the application of quantum well structures to third-generation photovoltaics, and has also aided in the development of new applications for a thermal circuit model to describe heat flow within multi-gate field effect transistor structures. Smith’s Goldwater application is based on extending the applications of this thermal model to perform electro-thermal simulation of multiple FinFET devices and integrated circuits. He plans to obtain a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and conduct industrial research in nano-scale device design.

Clarkson's Honors Program is an intensive four-year curriculum for exceptionally talented students. The University admits only 40 new students to the Honors Program each year.

As one of the eight federally funded TRIO programs of the U.S. Department of Education, the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program prepares first generation & low-income and/or underrepresented students for doctoral studies.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation is a federally endowed agency established in 1986. The scholarship program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and the health professions, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.