Furman Student Alexis Wong Wins Goldwater Scholarship

GREENVILLE, SC – April 18, 2011 – Alexis Wong, a Furman University junior from Knoxville, Tenn., has been awarded a Goldwater Scholarship for the 2011-12 academic year.

Wong was one of 275 sophomores and juniors from around the nation selected as Goldwater Scholars. The one- and two-year scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 a year.

The Goldwater Scholarship Program was established by Congress in 1986 to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The scholarship program is considered the premier undergraduate award of its type.

It is named for five-term U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, who ran for president on the Republican ticket in 1964.  Now into its third decade, the foundation has awarded more than 6,600 scholarships worth approximately $50 million.

Wong, a chemistry major at Furman, is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma and the American Chemical Society.  She is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellow, and has conducted research with Furman chemistry professor John Wheeler for the past two years.  She plans to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry following her graduation from Furman.

A 2008 graduate of Farragut High School, Wong is the daughter of Regina Ferrell and Keen Wong of Knoxville.