Two Temple Honors students have been awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. In the pool of 5,000 nominees nationwide, just 413 students were selected for the award.

The Goldwater Scholarship provides up to $7,500 annually for tuition expenses, covering one to two years of undergraduate studies. Goldwater Scholars are selected based on exceptional academic merit, alongside plans to pursue a research career in a STEM field.

Temple University’s 2023 Goldwater Scholars are Nala Hamilton (Biology), and Diana Tiburcio (Mechanical Engineering).

“I felt stunned,” Tiburcio said about receiving the scholarship. “It was so rewarding to know that all of the hard work I have put into my academic career and into my research is paying off.” As a sabre on Temple’s Division I fencing team, Tiburcio deftly balances her engineering research with the intricacies of life as a student-athlete. “Fencing is a very big part of my life,” Tiburcio said. “It helps me with stress relief and physical health, in addition to my genuine love for the sport.”

When Tiburcio isn’t creating community service projects with Engineers Without Borders (EWB will be traveling to Ecuador this summer), she can be found immersed in nature. “I have a plant collection that allows me to have the nature I love in my room”, she revealed. You can also find her singing to relieve stress and enjoying Sci-Fi in any format.

Nala Hamilton enjoys coming up with “any excuse” to mix her school life with art. Hamilton is the president and founder of Sci-Design, a student organization dedicated to promoting the intersection of art and science. The club’s current project is a mural of native Pennsylvanian plants and animal species for Temple’s Community Garden. Her other recent accolades include acceptance into the Frances Velay Women and Science Fellowship Program for Summer 2022, and the Temple Diamond Research Scholars Program for Summer 2023.

Hamilton said she is “absolutely thrilled” to be awarded the Goldwater Scholarship. “While I and my PI (Dr. Rob Kulathinal) believe in the significance of my research, having it acknowledged at a national level made me feel like the work I did was honored and appreciated.”

“Nala and Diana exemplify the interdisciplinary nature of STEM research and undergraduate learning,” said Dr. Barbara Gorka, director of Fellowships Advising. “Their drive to go beyond their majors to better understand and communicate their research questions is an indication of why they were selected as Goldwater Scholars and their potential as future leading researchers.”

For more information about Sci-Design and their current projects, visit their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scidesigntu/

For more information about Engineers Without Borders, as well as updates on their upcoming service trip to Ecuador, visit their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/temple_ewb/?hl=en