Duke Junior Lindsey Brown Named Goldwater Scholar

Lindsey Brown, a Duke University junior, has been named a 2015 scholar by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program.Brown is among 260 students awarded Goldwater Scholarships for the 2015-16 academic year. The one- and two-year scholarships go toward covering the cost of tuition, fees, books, room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.The scholarship program honoring the late U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. More than 1,200 students applied.Brown, a mathematics major and psychology and computer science minor from Midlothian, Va., plans to pursue a Ph.D. in applied mathematics and conduct research in the field of computational neuroscience.“As part of this research, I hope to better understand the neurological mechanisms behind mental illness, to better understand how to treat these disorders,” Brown said.Brown is currently conducting research under the direction of mathematics professors Michael Reed and William Pardon. Her independent study on neural coding theory looks at patterns of neural activity as a binary code.“This project could be the core of a Ph.D. dissertation and will certainly result in several published papers,” said Reed. “I have never had an undergraduate student who works so hard or who learns so much, so fast. I am certain Lindsey will have an outstanding career in mathematics and the sciences.”Two other Duke juniors, David Builes and Bryan Liu, received honorable mentions.Since its first award in 1989, the foundation has bestowed more than 7,400 scholarships worth approximately $48 million. Sixty-four Duke students have received Goldwater Scholarships since 1995. For a full list of winners and more information about the Goldwater Scholarship, visit goldwater.scholarsapply.org.