University of New Hampshire junior Joshua Stawarz, a physics major of Kittery, Maine, has won a prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for the 2010 -11 academic year.

DURHAM, N.H. - University of New Hampshire junior Joshua Stawarz, of Kittery, Maine, has won a prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for the 2010 -11 academic year. A physics major, Stawarz was one of 278 students selected on the basis of academic merit from among more than 1000 math, science and engineering students nominated nationwide. He is one of only two students from New Hampshire universities to receive the scholarship.

The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields. It covers the costs of tuition, fees, books, room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. Almost all Goldwater Scholars pursue Ph.D.s in their fields.

At UNH, Stawarz is studying solar wind. "This gas of electrically charged particles (known as plasma) is a dynamic and evolving system that provides an excellent 'laboratory' for the study of plasma dynamics in general," he says. "It also provides insight into dynamics at the Sun where the solar wind originates. I propose to study the cascade of energy associated with the turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind."

Stawarz is studying with Charles Smith, research professor of physics in the Space Science Center at the UNH Institute for the Study of Earth Oceans and Space, who calls him "an amazing young researcher" who has a leading role in programming work that is integral to the study of solar wind. "He has evolved from a hard-working assistant to a prime leader in the work.  He understands it, he evolves the codes, and he presents the work at meetings. For a junior, that is amazing," says Smith.

Stawarz, a student in the University Honors Program who plans to pursue a Ph.D. and a career in space physics or astrophysics research, is an earlier recipient of the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) Thomas R. McGetchin Memorial Scholarship. He is the son of Edward Stawarz and Cathy Meattey-Stawarz of Kittery and a 2007 graduate of Traip Academy.

Established by Congress in 1986 to foster and encourage excellence in science and mathematics, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation operates an educational scholarship program designed to provide opportunities for American undergraduate students with excellent academic records and outstanding potential. Goldwater Scholarships support study in the fields of mathematics, engineering and the natural sciences as preparation for careers in these areas.  Awards are made on the basis of merit.  Goldwater Scholars are eligible for one or two years of support. For more information, go to www.act.org/goldwater/.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

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Caption: University of New Hampshire junior Joshua Stawarz, a physics major of Kittery, Maine, has won a prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for the 2010 -11 academic year.