Three Miami students earn Goldwater Scholarships
Ethan Belak, Caden McCollum, and Emily Wang among 441 nationwide to receive honor
Published
Miami University students Ethan Belak, Caden McCollum, and Emily Wang have been selected as Goldwater Scholars for 2025-2026.
Three Miami students earn Goldwater Scholarships
Published
Three Miami University students have been named Goldwater Scholars for 2025-2026.
Ethan Belak, Caden McCollum, and Emily Wang are among 441 students nationwide to receive the prestigious scholarship. The undergraduate award is given annually to students who intend to pursue a research career in mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering.
The Miami students, all members of the university’s Honors College, were selected from 1,350 nominees from 445 academic institutions. They are three of seven students from an Ohio public university to receive the scholarship.
Belak is a Biology major and Environmental Science co-major from Amherst. He conducts research with faculty mentor Mark Krekeler on microplastics from Guantanamo Beach in Puerto Rico. With sands taken from the beach, Belak does density separations with heavy salts and looks at the microplastics that are separated under light microscopy.Krekeler, associate professor of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, said Belak is a unique nominee for the award because of his work on not just one project but several that involve pollution and geologic materials.
“There is a lot of effort that goes into these projects here at Miami,” Krekeler said. “We’re very much orientated toward undergraduate research. It’s something that we hold in high regard.”
Belak was inspired for this latest project through collaboration with other lab members, noting that past Goldwater Scholarship recipients have done work on Guantanamo Beach and other beaches in Puerto Rico.
“I kind of jumped at the opportunity to work with Dr. Krekeler,” Belak said. “It’s very novel and is very interesting to me. Pollutants kind of are permeated through our entire environment, so the chance to investigate and answer my own questions was a great opportunity.”
McCollum is a second-year Physics and Mathematics double major from Fairfield, He works with faculty mentor Samir Bali, professor of Physics.
“When I learned I was nominated for the Goldwater Scholarship, I had to put my phone down for a second and just take a minute,” McCollum said. “That was probably the best news I could have gotten at the time. It was a really, really affirming moment.”
Bali said the Goldwater Scholarship is about being involved in impactful, meaningful research. A sophomore, McCollum’s work in Bali’s lab includes a nano machine that turns atoms into their own motors, which will be helpful in the realm of quantum computers.
“It’s very important for students to get rewarded and recognized by scholarships like the Goldwater,” Bali said. “How do you judge a student’s aptitude for being a good researcher and being a good scientist? The only way is to put them in a research environment where they actually go beyond the textbook and do things that impact society.”
Wang is a junior Biochemistry major and Premedical and Pre-Health Studies co-double major from Lexington, Kentucky, focusing on cancer research. Working with faculty mentor Rock Mancini, assistant professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wang’s research involves characterizing multidrug resistant cancers.
“What made me think Emily would be a good fit for the Goldwater Scholarship would primarily be her independence, her intellectual ability, and her intrinsic motivation,” Mancini said.
Awards like the Goldwater Scholarship serve to motivate students to continue down a research path, Mancini said.
“It’s incredibly validating to see that all of my efforts, late nights in the lab, and long weekends have finally paid off,” Wang said. “(The process) truly made me realize how much I love research.”
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg.
