4 WVU students named Goldwater Scholars, a University first

For the first time, West Virginia University has four recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier undergraduate scholarship in mathematics, engineering and natural sciences that supports students with a strong commitment to research careers.

Caden Ginter, a junior physics and computer science dual major from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Mason Powell, a sophomore earth and environmental science major from Canaan Valley, Cloe Ratliff, a Morgantown native and junior dual major in biology and psychology, and Camndon Reed, a junior robotics and computer engineering dual major from Watertown, Massachusetts, will each receive $7,500 annually for up to two years of undergraduate study to further their research.

Cloe Ratliff
A native West Virginian and witness to the burden of chronic disease on Appalachian families, Ratliff is passionate about improving health outcomes in rural areas through research and medicine.

Under the mentorship of Jianhai Du, associate professor in the WVU School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Ratliff’s research focuses on identifying metabolic dysfunction and biomarkers associated with chronic disease.