Amanda Ash

"The UNG physics and astronomy department was pivotal in helping me take my ambition, direct it and be successful," said the native of Woodstock, Georgia.

Her successes were plentiful, and mostly due to her undergraduate research projects. As a freshman, Ash participated in the Faculty Undergraduate Summer Engagement program. Since then, her involvement in research snowballed, including time as an ambassador for UNG's Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities.

During her three years at UNG, she presented at nine academic conferences, including one national and one international event. At the American Astronomical Society conference in January 2020 in Hawaii, her poster presentation received an honorable mention.

Her aptitude for research earned Ash two National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates opportunities. In summer 2019, she attended the Center for Astrophysics | Smithsonian-Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and worked with researchers for 10 weeks.

Even with all of her experience in scientific research, Ash was hesitant to reapply for the Barry Goldwater Scholarship. Known as the most prestigious undergraduate award in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the United States, the scholarship is given to the most promising young scientists and future researchers.

"I applied in 2018 and didn't get it," she said. "I thought that was the end of that and almost decided not to apply again."

Dr. Anastasia Lin, assistant vice president of research and engagement, convinced her otherwise. In spring 2020, Ash won the Barry Goldwater Scholarship.

"I never thought I would be nationally competitive," she said.

She became a believer and set her sights on a doctoral degree in astronomy. She applied to 10 schools and will head to the Ohio State University for graduate school.

"I'm jumping into a Ph.D. program," she said. "I want to be an astronomer. It's really fun and I have a good time doing it."