MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University sophomore and Honors Buchanan Fellow Ariel Nicastro was recently named as a 2024 Goldwater Scholar — one of 10 students from Tennessee institutions to receive the award this year and the only one from MTSU.

The Goldwater Scholarship Program, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States, seeks to identify, encourage and financially support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this nation’s next generation of research leaders in these fields.

A physics major and student in the MTSU University Honors College, Nicastro was among more than 430 college students selected from more than 5,000 applicants to receive the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship this year.

“Receiving this scholarship further encourages me to continue pursuing research at higher levels such as in graduate school and in a professional career,” said Nicastro. “Research is never a linear path of success, so I feel that earning this honor after many diverse research experiences is a testament to my persistence and resilience.”

The scholarships are awarded by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation to encourage outstanding undergraduate students to pursue research careers in STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 

‘Esteemed award’

Each Goldwater Scholar annually receives an amount equal to the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, books, and room and board minus the amount of support provided by other sources — up to $7,500 maximum per full academic year. Scholars who receive the award as sophomores can expect to receive support for a maximum of two years (four semesters) or until graduation, if sooner.

In addition to the Goldwater Scholarship, Nicastro was awarded a Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory this summer. She is one of four students recognized as an AMPLIFY Scholar for success in obtaining graduate school and coveted Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships. 

“I am incredibly proud of Ariel Nicastro for being awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Ariel as part of our quantum research group within the Amplify program,” said Hanna Terletska, associate professor of physics and astronomy who heads the Quantum Science Initiative, which includes the Amplify Scholars program, stylized as AMPLIFY.

“Ariel embodies the qualities every advisor hopes for in a student: intelligence, diligence, talent and unwavering drive. This esteemed award is a well-deserved recognition of Ariel’s exceptional contributions to research at MTSU.”

Physics majors are assigned a mentor in their freshman year. Nicastro’s mentor was William Robertson, MTSU physics and astronomy adjunct professor. He informed students about the research requirements for physics majors and added that Nicastro almost immediately inquired about a suitable starter research project.

“I assigned her a research project that involved electrical measurements of filters circuits. Despite having no background in the use of equipment such as function generators, BNC connectors, and oscilloscopes, Ariel became adept at making measurements,” Robertson continued. “She succeeded through persistence and the ability to ask good questions, talents that will continue to ensure her continued success in science.”

Building on impressive academic career

Nicastro is the president of MTSU’s Quantum Computing Club, the treasurer of the MTSU Society of Physics Students, the secretary for the Student Organization for the Advancement of Research, and a member of both the Women in Physics Club and the Astronomy Club. 

She has previously volunteered with Tennessee Girls in STEM, is the viola section leader of the MTSU Symphony Orchestra, and is a participant in the MTSU Chamber Orchestra.

In 2023, as a first-year student, Nicastro was selected from about 200 applicants to participate in the Training and Research Experiences in Nonlinear Dynamics, a summer research program also known as a research experience for undergraduates, or REU. She attended the 10-week program at the University of Maryland College Park over the summer, studying nonlinear dynamics models and how they can be used to study spatially extended systems such as acoustic waves, electrical transmission problems, plasma waves and so forth.

Over the summer of 2023, she studied abroad in New Zealand. Last year she attended a conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics at Auburn University, presented at the Tennessee Collegiate Honors Council at Austin Peay State University and the National Conference for Undergraduate Research at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a conference at which she presented at again in 2024 at California State University-Long Beach. 

Prior to receiving the Goldwater Scholarship, she was awarded the Physics and Astronomy faculty award, the Paul W. Martin Scholarship, Outstanding Honors First-Year Student, and the MTSU School of Music Scholarship.

After completing her bachelor’s degree, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in condensed matter physics. She would like to conduct research on quantum materials and nanotechnology and participate in related mentorship and outreach.

Goldwater Scholars have gone on to win an impressive array of prestigious awards, becoming National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellows, NSF Graduate Research Fellows, Hertz Fellows, DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellows, Astronaut Scholars, Churchill Scholars, Marshall Scholars, and Rhodes Scholars. 

“I will use the Goldwater to apply to future research internships. While I have not yet decided which internships to apply to for next summer, I am considering the DAAD RISE in Germany and an internship at a STEM-related workplace (which would help me realize my career options after I finish my schooling),” Nicastro explained. 

“I am still exploring my fields of interest, so I hope I can utilize these internships to learn more about which fields I am motivated to pursue in graduate school and beyond. I am currently passionate about condensed matter physics and quantum physics, so I will continue to seek out more opportunities in these broad fields.”

For more information, contact the Goldwater office at 703-756-6012 or by email at goldwaterao@goldwaterscholarship.gov. 

Students interested in applying for the Goldwater Scholarship, or other national and international awards, should contact Laura Clippard, International Fellowships and Honors College coordinator, at 615-898-5464 or Laura.Clippard@mtsu.edu.

— Robin E. Lee (Robin.E.Lee@mtsu.edu)