WKU News

WKU student Vivian Rivera of Burlington has been awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. She is one of only three students studying at Kentucky institutions to be named a Goldwater Scholar in this application cycle, and she is WKU's first since 2019. 

Rivera, the daughter of Michael and Dr. Jennifer Rivera, is a Mahurin Honors College scholar who will graduate in May 2024 with a degree in biology and a minor in chemistry. She will pursue a PhD in botany toward a career as an ethnobotanist, studying phytochemicals in medicinal plants of the Amazon Rainforest in pursuit of nature's next medicines.

Established by the U.S. Congress in 1986 to recognize the former senator from Arizona, the Goldwater Scholarship program identifies and honors university sophomores and juniors who excel in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) research. To support future career researchers, winners receive $7,500 annually to apply toward undergraduate tuition, room and board, fees and books.

Goldwater's recognition of Rivera’s potential in STEM research is a testament to her academic focus. “Vivian has diligently pursued and deepened her interest in plant science and ethnobotany at every turn,” said Dr. David Brown, Dean of the Ogden College of Science & Engineering. “She has taken opportunities made possible by the Ogden College of Science & Engineering and the Mahurin Honors College at WKU to develop expertise that will benefit the world beyond the campus.”

Rivera has conducted research with associate professors Dr. Chandrakanth Emani and Dr. Nilesh Sharma, as well as assistant professor Dr. Joseph Marquardt in the Biology Department at WKU. She earned a Faculty-Undergraduate Student Engagement Grant and an Honors Development Grant to support her undergraduate thesis. She also completed a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undegraduates at Missouri Botanical Gardens, where she worked with Dr. Robbie Hart, Director of the William L. Brown Center. She also studied abroad in Ecuador for a semester through a WKU Global exchange program, which put her in proximity to the Amazon Rainforest she is interested in. 

Rivera has also sought opportunities to pursue and share her interests with other students and community memberships. As the president of the WKU Ecology Club, she collaborated with the Student Government Association to establish a pollinator garden on campus. Through her teaching assistantships in chemistry and plant biology, she shares her love for plant science with other students. She also volunteers at Lost River Cave, and she has served as a Mahurin Honors College Alumni Ambassador.

Rivera prepared her application for the Goldwater Scholarship with guidance from Lindsey Houchin in the Office of Scholar Development (OSD). "When I was a freshman, I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish while in college, but I hadn't considered Goldwater as an opportunity," said Rivera. "I am thankful OSD encouraged me to apply. It helped me develop my story and realize how different aspects of my experience link together. Goldwater, and the process of applying, is helping me achieve those goals I set years ago."

In OSD advising sessions, Rivera realized the ways growing up in a bicultural family due to her father's Puerto Rican heritage supplemented her scientific interests.

"Blending my scientific interests with my cultural and linguistic interests has been a fruitful challenge," Rivera wrote in her application. "It ultimately led me to Ecuador, where I spoke Spanish with my host family, locals, and natives of the Amazon Rainforest. And further, it led me to conduct research on Amazonian ethnobotany using not only English, but also Spanish plant bios. The linguistic, cultural, and scientific angles had value in my research, improving the data and results through inclusivity." 

About the Office of Scholar Development (OSD): OSD helps students make more possible by applying for national scholarships to fund “academic extras” such as study abroad, research, professional experience, and more. By conceptualizing and revising the stories they tell in application essays and interviews, students better understand their strengths, interests, and purpose—and explore multiple possible pathways to that work.

Contact: Lindsey Houchin, lindsey.houchin@wku.edu