3 CSU students awarded Goldwater Scholarships

Three Colorado State University undergraduates have earned one of the country’s top scholarship awards dedicated to fostering the next generation of research leaders in natural sciences, engineering and mathematics.

Natalie Calahan, Josh Kates and Michael Weiss are among 441 students from across the country to earn scholarships from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation in 2025. The three juniors were selected from a pool of more than 5,000 applicants.

Since 2019, CSU has produced 17 Goldwater Scholars; this year, CSU had the most Goldwater Scholars of any college or university in the state.

Established by Congress in 1986, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation operates an educational scholarship program designed to provide opportunities for outstanding U.S. students with excellent academic records and demonstrated interest in, and potential for, research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.

The scholarship award covers eligible expenses up to a maximum of $7,500 per year for undergraduate education. Scholarship recipients nominated as sophomores can expect to receive a maximum of two years of support. Meet this year’s Goldwater Scholars from CSU.

Natalie Calahan, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Calahan — a senior majoring in chemical and biological engineering — is interested in regenerative medicine and cancer therapies.

She said the scholarship will allow her to focus more on her research and connect her with a network of researchers and alumni who can provide mentorship and career advice as she prepares to apply for graduate school.

“Being named a Goldwater Scholar is an incredible honor that recognizes my dedication to research and potential to contribute to the advancement of biomedical engineering,” Calahan said. “It also affirms my ability to conduct impactful research and motivates me to continue pursuing innovative solutions in cancer therapies and regenerative medicine.”

At CSU, Calahan said she has gotten hands-on experience and mentorship that catalyzed her passion for biomedical engineering.

Calahan also participated in the Scott Undergraduate Research Experience, which pairs undergraduate engineering students with a faculty member for one semester to contribute to academic research. She has worked in the Cellular Engineering and Mechanobiology Lab with Assistant Professor Soham Ghosh and has researched apoptosis dynamics and fractional killing in cancer.

“While I always had an interest in science and engineering, my passion for biomedical engineering, specifically research, comes from experiences in the lab,” said Calahan, who plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. “I fell in love with the process of uncovering new scientific insights and how they can be applied to real-world medical challenges. Regenerative medicine has the potential to transform patient care by restoring damaged tissues and improving treatment outcomes for diseases like cancer.”

Josh Kates, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Kates — a junior majoring in civil engineering — discovered his passion for research in Assistant Professor Christian Sanner’s physics lab. There, he assisted with research designed to improve atomic clocks.

While Kates explained that the tasks were difficult, he found balance through his indie rock band, Heliotrope, playing guitar and keyboard.

“When I first got into Dr. Sanner’s lab, he had me wiring a rotary shutter, and I knew nothing about electronics,” Kates said. “So, with band practice, I would be forced to take a break and go play music for a few hours and that would really clear my mind, which in turn helped me in the lab.”

In 2023, Kates took on a research position in the structural engineering lab at the U.S. Air Force Academy, researching ultra-high-performance concrete. His research examined how the orientation of reinforcing fibers impacts the strength of concrete. As part of this, Kates presented his findings at an international conference in Milan, Italy, in 2024.

When he graduates, Kates said the Goldwater Scholarship will help with his pursuit of a Ph.D. in civil engineering with an emphasis in structural engineering.

“Being named a Goldwater Scholar really makes me proud,” he said. “To get this recognition for myself, but also for CSU — to contribute to CSU’s developing reputation as an elite research institution — makes it even better.”

Michael Weiss, College of Natural Sciences

Weiss — a junior majoring in biochemistry and physics — served for nearly 10 years in the U.S. Air Force before coming to CSU. His passion for physics started while working with electrical generators at Misawa Air Base in Japan.

“In the Air Force, I would have questions, and no one could answer them,” he said. “The biggest thing that I wanted to learn about was electricity and how that stuff actually worked.”

That curiosity eventually brought Weiss to CSU, where he has been a part of the Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Group. Fellow Goldwater Scholar Josh Kates is also part of this group in a different lab. There, Weiss has been studying the excited states of hydrogen to verify some of the fundamental concepts of physics.

Weiss said that being named a Goldwater Scholar means a lot to him. He explained that the scholarship has kept him motivated as he has lost some close friends and family members.

“There have been quite a few things going on outside of school that have been testing me lately,” he said. “I’ve been recovering, but this scholarship has been an extra push to keep going.”

Weiss plans to pursue graduate school after CSU, noting that he would love to study abroad in Germany or Japan and earn a Ph.D. in biophysics. He added that the Goldwater Scholarship is a significant financial boost for his undergraduate education.

“The extra finances make it a lot more possible for someone like me as an adult with a family. I have a 5-year-old daughter,” he said. “So, without the scholarship to help with school, it may not have been possible for me to continue my education after I get my undergraduate degree.”