Tuesday, April 14, 2015

CEES Student Recipient of 2015 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

Ben Toms
CEES Student Recipient of 2015 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
Ben Toms, a senior from Aurora, Colorado, is one of two OU students to receive the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for 2015.  The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry Goldwater.  The purpose of the Foundation is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue research careers in these fields.

Toms is double majoring in civil engineering and meteorology and plans to graduate in May 2016.  He is currently working on a field campaign through the School of Meteorology entitled "PECAN", which stands for Plains Elevated Convection at Night.  “We'll be sampling overnight convective complexes in hopes of better understanding how convection is formed and/or maintained during nighttime.  In the future, I want to research the interactions between terrestrial water systems and the atmosphere, most specifically how changes in surface and sub-surface water characteristics influence atmospheric phenomena”, Toms said.

Though he has not decided on which graduate school he plans to attend, we are all hoping that he remains with us here at OU!

Congratulations, Ben!