Thomas Garton, a third-year student with a triple major in honors biochemistry, biophysics, and biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience, has received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and the Astronaut Scholarship, which are facilitated by the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships (ONSF).

"I feel very honored to have won these awards. In particular, I have been extremely lucky to have had such generous research and academic mentors who have given me so many opportunities to explore my own hypotheses and ideas," says Garton. "These awards have motivated me to intensify my efforts in my neurosurgery research as I turn my focus towards applying to M.D.-Ph.D. programs."

The Goldwater Scholarship provides $7,500 to highly qualified STEM students who plan to pursue a Ph.D. and research career in those fields. The Astronaut Scholarship, which was created in 1984 to honor the Mercury 7 astronauts, awards students $10,000 to pursue STEM careers, and comes with an invitation to network with other scholarship winners at an induction ceremony at the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

"These awards were also helpful in that they made me truly ponder why I wanted to pursue medicine and science; the application process required a lot of introspection, and I feel that I have emerged with a more concrete idea of what truly motivates me," says Garton.

Both the Goldwater and Astronaut Scholarships are facilitated by the ONSF, housed in the LSA Honors Program and spearheaded by Henry Dyson, senior advisor and director. The office assists students from across U-M's campus with identifying and applying to national and international scholarship opportunities, like Garton's.

Click here to visit the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships.