Two juniors in the George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice University have been named 2023 Barry Goldwater Scholars, the preeminent award for undergraduates studying natural sciences, engineering or mathematics.
Ruofeng “Charlie” Liu in operations research and Ryan Wang in neuroscience, computer science and cognitive science, received the scholarship which can be used to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.
“Charlie has deep and broad research interests. He has published a paper and is working with me and Jesse Chan, assistant professor of computational applied mathematics and operations research (CMOR), on very different projects,” said Andrew Schaefer, Noah Harding Chair and Professor of CMOR.
Liu’s paper co-written with Chan, “High Order Entropy Stable Schemes for the Quasi-one-dimensional Shallow Water and Compressible Euler Equations,” will be submitted to the Journal of Computational Physics. His previous paper, “Maps Unlock the Full Dynamics of Targeted Energy Transfer Via a Vibro-Impact Nonlinear Energy Sink,” was published in the Journal of Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing.
“Charlie has won many awards for programming,” Schaefer said. “These contests require deep technical knowledge and substantial creativity in applying it. Mathematical rigor and programming are essential skills for operations research majors, and Charlie has excelled in them at the highest level.”
Wang works in the Laboratory for Noninvasive Neuroengineering headed by Jerzy Szablowski, assistant professor of bioengineering at Rice.
“Ryan has an unusual drive to succeed and a broad set of skills that he can apply to do anything in research, ranging from writing through molecular biology to in vivo work. That makes him a very versatile researcher,” Szablowski said.
Earlier this year, Wang received a grant from Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society, an unusual accomplishment for an undergraduate. His project was titled “Noninvasive Multiplexed Gene Delivery to the Brain.”
More than 400 Goldwater Scholarships were given this year. Sophomores and juniors planning to pursue a Ph.D. in a STEM field and having a grade-point average of at least 3.70 are eligible to apply.
Two juniors in the Wiess School of Natural Sciences were also named Goldwater Scholars: Maria Hancu in chemistry and biology, and Alix Lin in chemistry.