MSU Student Earns Goldwater Honor

STARKVILLE, Miss.–A Mississippi State physics and mathematics double-major from Starkville is among those receiving a prestigious recognition by a premier national scholarship organization.

Senior John Kristian “Kris” Madsen is the land-grant university’s fifth student in the past four years to receive honorable mention selection by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. He is a 2012 Starkville High School graduate and the son of John and Carolyn Madsen.

Madsen is a member of the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College. Previously awarded multiple National Science Foundation research grants, he is a frequent presenter at the college’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, as well as at regional and national venues.

Established in 1986, the Virginia-based foundation serves as a memorial to the former U.S. Republican senator from Arizona and 1964 presidential candidate. In annually recognizing undergraduate majors in science, mathematics, engineering and computer disciplines, it helps ensure a continuing source of highly qualified professionals in these fields. For more, visit goldwater.scholarsapply.org.

Madsen expressed appreciation for the support and guidance provided by numerous university faculty members. Specifically, he cited associate professor Dipangkar Dutta of the physics and astronomy department; assistant professor Nicholas Fitzkee of chemistry; Tommy Anderson, director of prestigious external scholarships; and mathematics professor Seth Oppenheimer, the honors college’s undergraduate research director.

“All of these individuals have been highly influential to me,” he said. “They have sponsored me in research programs, written countless letters of recommendation and taken a lot of time to teach me and answer questions that are not trivial.”

Madsen said representing Mississippi State is an honor, adding, “I don’t think someone in my position at many other schools would have quite the same freedom to pursue research and interact with professors that MSU inherently provides. Receiving an award like this is a representation of that fact.”

Fitzkee, who has supervised Madsen’s laboratory investigations since 2014, praised the young scientist’s “intense curiosity, passion for mathematics and data analysis and desire to perform high-level academic research.

“Kris is a motivated worker who represents the ideal mix of academic and research intensity engendered by many Goldwater Scholars,” he added.

Anderson agreed. He also observed how Madsen “has received unparalleled mentorship in both chemistry and physics, and these relationships will continue to be central to his development in future STEM research.”

The Goldwater Foundation recognition “underscores the commitment that Mississippi State has to high-impact undergraduate education,” the associate professor of English emphasized.

Since its inception, the foundation has recognized a total of 19 Mississippi State students–14 with the Goldwater Scholarship and five with honorable mention awards. The most recent recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship and honorable mention designation have been accepted to graduate schools at MIT, Cornell, Stanford, Virginia Tech, the University of Georgia, Baylor, University of California-Berkeley, Stony Brook University, and Maryland.