Two Swarthmore Juniors
Named Goldwater Scholars

by Stacey Kutish
4/3/2009

Benjamin Good '10

Good, an Honors physics and mathematics double major, is the son of Rhonda and Timothy Good of Gettysburg, Pa. He credits Swarthmore with fostering his long-held interest in science. "I've been interested in the sciences and mathematics since I was a child, but it wasn't until coming to Swarthmore that I really became enamored with the idea that with enough careful reasoning and a bit of inspiration, humans could begin to discover the inner workings of the world around them-even if those things are far too small (e.g. atoms) or far too slow (e.g. evolution) to experience in everyday life," Good says. "The idea that as a junior in college I could sit down with a pencil and paper and come back a few hours later with the energy levels of the hydrogen atom really speaks to the power of the analytical method developed over the centuries by the great scientists that came before us, and I hope to someday continue that progress with my own research."

Markus Kliegl '10

Kliegl, an Honors major in mathematics and minor in physics, is the son of Reinhold Kliegl and Mary Metzler-Kliegl of Berlin, Germany. He notes that a first-year Physics Discussion Group raised his interest in physics and motivated him to pursue advanced courses in the field. Last summer he combined his interests in mathematics and physics while conducting research on quantum walks. "Our work drew on algebra, graph theory, and probability theory," Kliegl says. "At the same time, as the word ‘quantum' suggests, the topic was inspired by physics and is relevant to the design of algorithms for quantum computers."

Learn more about the Goldwater Scholarship from the Fellowships and Prizes Office.