Wheaton College (Ill.) Student Benjamin Hess Named Honorable Mention for Goldwater Scholarship

2017 Apr 12

Wheaton College junior April Futch and sophomore Benjamin Hess were recently named Honorable Mentions for the 2017 Goldwater Scholarship. The Goldwater Scholarship honors academic excellence among mathematics, science, and engineering students and is one of the most prestigious undergraduate academic awards in the nation.

Hess is a Geology major from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. At Wheaton, he has worked with Professor of Geology Dr. Jeffrey Greenberg to study the Harney Peak Granite intrusion in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Hess was also recently awarded a competitive summer research internship with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

“Benjamin possesses the drive and aptitude of an advanced graduate student,” Greenberg said. “His work with me and his peers on geochemical investigations in the Black Hills of South Dakota and in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, represent a strong beginning as a lead researcher.”

After graduating from Wheaton, Hess hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in geochemistry.

The Goldwater Scholarship Program was established by Congress in 1986 in honor of United States Senator Barry Goldwater to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, science, and engineering. This year, 1,286 students from 470 schools were nominated for the Goldwater Scholarship. 240 students won scholarships and 307 were chosen as Honorable Mentions.