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Two Iowa State students named Goldwater Scholars

April 07, 2025

AMES, Iowa – Krishangee Bez and Elizabeth Dougherty, both students in Iowa State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, have been named Goldwater Scholars.

Bez and Dougherty were among 441 recipients chosen from an estimated pool of more than 5,000 college sophomores and juniors across the U.S. for the 2025-2026 academic year.

The Goldwater Scholarship honors outstanding undergraduates interested in research careers in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics. It is awarded by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, which was established in 1986.

"All of our nominees this year were outstanding, and I am thrilled that Krishangee and Elizabeth achieved the distinguished honor of becoming Goldwater Scholars. It is an exciting step toward a bright future in STEM research leadership," said Kelli Fitzpatrick, coordinator of Nationally Competitive Awards with the University Honors Program at Iowa State. 

Scholars receive up to $7,500 toward qualifying academic expenses such as tuition, fees, room and board and books.

To apply for the scholarship, students must complete a competitive application process. A selection committee at Iowa State reviews the applications and determines which nominees to proceed to the national level. 

This year's committee members were Kent Kirby, assistant dean of liberal arts and sciences; Frank Peters, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering; Eric Underbakke, associate professor of biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular biology; and Svitlana Zbarska, graduate college career services lead. 

Meet the Goldwater Scholars

A portrait photo of Goldwater scholarship winner Krishangee Bez

Krishangee Bez, ’26 Chemistry

  • Plans: Pursue Ph.D. in analytical chemistry and become a university professor
  • Interests: Contributing solutions to energy security
  • Qualifications: Completed a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Rochester in Raman spectroscopy, author on academic paper associated with her research and has presented her work at conferences
  • Accolades: Campus undergraduate research ambassador helping to organize ISU’s annual symposium
A portrait photo of Goldwater scholarship winner Elizabeth Dougherty

Elizabeth Dougherty, ’26 Biochemistry

  • Plans: Pursue Ph.D. in biochemistry, focusing on biomedical science and help develop effective therapies and a cure for Alzheimer’s
  • Interests: Disease and drug development research
  • Qualifications: Presented her research at a national conference and is a Stupka Undergraduate Research Symposium leader
  • Accolades: Studying abroad this semester at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan

Contacts