4 WVU students named Goldwater Scholars, a University first

For the first time, West Virginia University has four recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship, the nation's premier undergraduate scholarship in mathematics, engineering and natural sciences that supports students with a strong commitment to research careers.

Caden Ginter, a junior physics and computer science dual major from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Mason Powell, a sophomore earth and environmental science major from Canaan Valley, Cloe Ratliff, a Morgantown native and junior dual major in biology and psychology, and Camndon Reed, a junior robotics and computer engineering engineering dual major from Watertown, Massachusetts, will each receive $7,500 annually for up to two years of undergraduate study to further their research.

"Our students' selection for the Goldwater Scholarship is both an extraordinary honor and a powerful affirmation of their dedication to discovery," Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Paul Kreider said.

"This recognition reflects not only their exceptional talent, but also their deep commitment to advancing knowledge and pursuing research careers that will shape the future. We are immensely proud of their achievements and the promise they carry forward."

Caden Ginter
Ginter found himself drawn to the worlds of physics and computer science in high school when he studied quantum algorithms as part of a small research project at a local university.

"My high school had a large selection of advanced math and science courses that helped build my interest in science and math," he said. "I was able to take courses that earned me college credit, which accelerated both of my undergraduate degrees."

For the last three years, Ginter has worked with his mentor Subhasish Mandal, assistant professor in the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Department of Physics and Astronomy, exploring how advanced computational methods can accelerate the discovery of new materials with desirable properties.

"An exciting recent trend in materials science is to build custom machine learning systems that augment the process of seeking new materials that fit a set of criteria," he said. "Running the calculations that can tell us how a material will behave is expensive, so we can employ specialty AI to make reasonable guesses first, then verify them with full calculations."

Ginter used his skills to build a machine learning-based approach that predicts solar efficiency directly from a material's crystal structure, reducing analysis time from weeks to seconds. His first authored paper describing the work was submitted to Physical Review Materials and is available in preprint.

"I'm excited to be working at this frontier because we can use the technology to design materials very deliberately, something that has been mostly inaccessible until recently," he said.

Ginter said his work has shaped how he sees the physical world, particularly the connection between microscopic structures and visible forms.

"When you look at a gem with some interesting geometric shape, you are actually indirectly observing the pattern of atoms within the crystal," he said. "The large shapes you see are a direct result of the unique patterns in that specific material."

He also said his work represents a shift toward more deliberate and efficient material design.

"The world is dominated by quantum computers, medical devices, etc., and understanding it better is the key to a new generation of exciting technology," he said.

Ginter said he plans to pursue a doctorate in physics and, eventually, guide the next generation of physicists as a university professor with research focused on condensed matter physics.

Mason Powell
Growing up in Tucker County, Powell's backyard included vast expanses of wilderness like Dolly Sods, Canaan Valley and numerous state parks. The time he spent exploring those areas directly influenced his major and research path at WVU.

"My entire life, I have questioned the hows and whys of nature," he said. "Walking through these unique and protected landscapes made me incredibly interested in learning all about them and their significance to people and society."

As a high school student, Powell discovered research through the Health Sciences and Technology Academy, a one-of-a-kind mentoring program that connects underserved students to resources and opportunities needed to succeed in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine undergraduate and graduate programs.

"It was through this program and a research project on how road salts affect local water quality that I found out how I can further my learning beyond traditional classroom instruction," he said. "Because of my high school interest in research, I immediately pursued research at WVU."

During his first semester at WVU, Powell joined the Research Apprenticeship Program and connected with his mentor Brenden McNeil, professor of geography, and began working to understand how forest ecosystems respond to environmental change.

Through his work, Powell has combined field-based measurements with advanced remote sensing techniques like LiDAR to better understand how human impacts and biological stress can alter how much carbon a forest stores, how carbon cycles through the ecosystem, and how biodiversity of the forest is changed.

"Knowing how we can effectively manage forests and protect them to maximize carbon sequestration will be important for mitigation of climate change and will provide myriad other benefits, such as habitat, shade, soil stability, clean air, and so much more," he said. "Understanding how they function is imperative to keeping balance in the natural and human world."

Looking ahead, Powell said he plans to pursue a doctorate in geography and continue research in forest ecology and remote sensing technologies with the goal of advancing scientific understanding and mentoring future researchers.

"I hope to dedicate my career to discovery and inspiring the next generation of scientists," he said.

Cloe Ratliff
A native West Virginian and witness to the burden of chronic disease on Appalachian families, Ratliff is passionate about improving health outcomes in rural areas through research and medicine.

Always interested in pursuing medicine, the Research Apprenticeship Program opened her eyes to conducting research as well.

"I learned I wanted to actually solve the problems in medicine," she said. "I realized I didn't need to give up either of those goals and could do both as an MD/PhD. Research often excludes people in rural areas, and I want to change that and use it to help solve problems here."

Under the mentorship of Jianhai Du, associate professor in the WVU School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Ratliff's research focuses on identifying metabolic dysfunction and biomarkers associated with chronic disease.

"Chronic diseases disproportionately affect West Virginia and similar resource-reduced regions, and metabolic processes are the backbone to their development," Ratliff said.

One of those resource-reduced regions is Honduras, where Ratliff traveled as part of Global Medical and Dental Brigades.

While volunteering in medical clinics she identified the connections between metabolic disease, access to care and the geographic isolation of the citizens.

"I realized every single patient had hypertension or diabetes, oftentimes both," Ratliff said. "This wasn't a coincidence but rather a product of limited access to health care and proper nutrition. Rather than seeing disease as an isolated event, I started thinking about it as a widespread dysfunction in metabolic pathways that extends beyond borders."

In the lab, she's conducted extensive research on how metabolic changes in ocular tissues may reveal dysfunction long before symptoms appear.

She said the work is especially meaningful because it connects molecular changes to broader patterns of disease and patient outcomes.

"The ability to connect something small like eye metabolomics to widespread disease is extremely fascinating to me," she said. "I am excited to continue exploring how metabolomics and disease intertwine with clinical applications throughout my career."

Camndon Reed
Recognizing the importance of robotics in solving problems that directly affect people, Reed is committed to building autonomous systems that can operate in the real world, not just in controlled environments.

"Robots have massive potential to help with transportation, search and rescue, environmental monitoring, and assistance in places where it may be dangerous or difficult for people to go," he said.

Reed transferred to WVU because of the research opportunities available to undergraduates and the strong robotics curriculum offered in the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

"The WVU robotics curriculum integrates mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science, which allows me to understand robots as a complete system, from the low-level hardware and actuation to high-level autonomy and perception," he said. "My studies in computer engineering strengthen my understanding of real-time systems, sensor integration and computation under constraints, all of which are critical for autonomous operation in complex environments."

A two-time participant in the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates, Reed worked alongside Yu Gu, MMAE Academy of Distinguished Alumni Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, to develop an autonomous hiking trail navigation system that integrates multiple data inputs to guide robots through complex terrain.

"A lot of robots work well on smooth factory floors or well mapped roads, but natural terrain is much more complicated," he said. "I combined camera and LiDAR data so the robot can 'see' what kind of ground is in front of it and judge how safe or difficult that ground is to drive on."

Stepping into research challenged the way Reed thinks about robotics and its application in society.

"Before doing research, I thought more in terms of whether something was theoretically correct or technically impressive," he said. "Through research, I have learned that what really matters is whether a system can handle uncertainty, imperfect data and constantly changing environments. It made me think more about reliability, adaptability and the responsibility engineers have to create technology that is truly useful."

Reed said he plans to pursue a doctoral degree in robotics engineering and conduct research in the development of autonomous systems capable of operating reliably in unstructured environments like forests, farms and disaster zones.

WVU students interested in the Goldwater Scholarship can work with the ASPIRE Office to learn more and apply. Founded in 2006, the office assists students applying for competitive scholarships and fellowships, as well as students applying for graduate or professional schools.

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