Noah Horwitz of Medina is among four University of Washington undergraduates honored with a Goldwater Scholarship from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

Scholarships are awarded to college sophomores and juniors entering the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering

Horwitz, who is majoring in chemistry, conducts research on organic solar cells under the mentorship of chemistry professor David Ginger. Horwitz uses optical and electrical techniques to probe the physical and chemical structure of organic photovoltaic devices.

Interested in science “for as long as I can remember,” Horwitz decided to major in chemistry after completing the honors introductory chemistry sequence, which also introduced the idea of participating in research. After graduate, Horwitz plans to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry and eventually become a faculty member at a university, looking forward “to being able to conduct scientific research and teach new scientists.”

The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,111 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide.