Columbus State University student ZiJie “Jerry” Lin has been selected as a 2019 Barry Goldwater Scholar.  The prestigious award for students in the sciences funds up to $7,500 in educational expenses. Lin, CSU’s first ever Goldwater recipient, was one of only 496 recipients selected nationwide out of pool of about 5,000 college sophomores and juniors.

“This scholarship process has been a very long journey. I really poured all of my research experience and career aspirations into my application,” said Lin, who expects to graduate in May 2021. “The fact that I was awarded this scholarship confirms that I am capable of competing against the top students in the nation and it represents the culmination of my work at Columbus State University. Furthermore, this award will now propel me on towards earning a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry.”
 
Originally from China, Lin moved to Columbus in 2006 and became a U.S. citizen earlier this year. He is a graduate of Columbus High School and is pursuing a bachelor of science in chemistry with the American Chemical Society Certified Track, along with minors in both biology and math. Lin is an Honors College scholar at CSU, and he has been accepted to attend Oxford University through Columbus State’s Oxford Visiting Student Program for the 2019-20 academic year. He would ultimately like to conduct research in chemical synthesis and teach at the university level.
 
CSU faculty Dr. Kerri Taylor, Dr. Jonathan Meyers, Dr. Monica Frazier, Dr. Lauren King, and Dr. Kevin Burgess have mentored Lin’s various research projects. Lin has been published in the Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry and has presented at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society and the Georgia Academy of Science.
 
“Dean Ticknor encouraged me to apply for the scholarship, but I was still early in my research project with Dr. Kerri Taylor,” said Lin. “Dr. Ticknor’s encouragement gently pushed me outside of my comfort zone but also confirmed what I could be capable of. Dr. Taylor provided relentless support as I challenged myself in aiming for ambitious goals. I would like to thank all my mentors and advisors for their support and encouragement, and I would like to specifically acknowledge my research mentors, Dr. Taylor and Dr. Burgess, for providing these unique opportunities that have resulted in my aspiration towards scientific research.”
 
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to serve as a living memorial to honor the lifetime work of Senator Barry Goldwater. By providing scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering, the Goldwater Foundation aims to ensure that the U.S. is producing the number of highly-qualified professionals the nation needs in these critical fields.
 
Over its 30-year history, Goldwater Scholarships have been awarded to thousands of undergraduates, many of whom have gone on to win other prestigious awards like the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Fellowship, Rhodes Scholarship, Churchill Scholarship and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. Goldwater alumni can be found conducting research that is helpful for national defense, finding cures for catastrophic diseases and teaching future generations of scientists, mathematicians and engineers.