Anastasios Karles, a rising junior majoring in computer engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University, will receive a Goldwater Scholarship for the 2019-2020 academic year.

The award, supported by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, is considered the preeminent undergraduate scholarship of its type in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

Karles’ faculty adviser is Carl Elks, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Out of a pool of more than 5,000 sophomores and juniors, Karles was among 496 winners selected across the U.S. The scholarship provides up to $7,500 a year to help cover tuition, fees, books and room and board for up to two years.

“This award was possible because of the incredible opportunities the VCU College of Engineering provided me, first as a high school student through the Dean's Early Research Initiative, and later as an undergraduate through the VIP program,” Karles said. “Arthur French, Dr. Ryan Green, Dr. Erdem Topsakal and Dr. Elks have been incredible mentors whose guidance inspired me to immerse myself in my research and continue to pursue new frontiers in engineering. Of course, this award was also possible because of the invaluable support with the application process that I received from Mr. Jeff Wing, the Director of the National Scholarship Office.”

The program seeks to support students with a strong commitment to a research career, intellectual intensity and potential for a significant future contribution to research. Many Goldwater Scholars go on to earn distinction in prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs. The Goldwater Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to serve as a living memorial to honor the lifetime work of U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater.