By Kristin Janka and Melanie Brender
Two Michigan State University students, Lauren Jin and Aswath Karai, have earned the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Jin accepted the scholarship while Karai declined, placing MSU at 61 Goldwater Scholars since the award’s inception.
The Goldwater Foundation seeks sophomores and juniors committed to a research career in STEM fields with the potential for significant future contributions in their chosen field. The award provides $7,500 per year in funding for undergraduate tuition and living expenses.
“It is a privilege and a pleasure to congratulate Lauren Jin and Aswath Karai on their selection as Goldwater Scholars,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D. “Their dedication to the pursuit of research careers – confronting the questions and challenges facing our society – is what Michigan State’s long legacy of excellence, innovation, and impact is built upon.”
For the 2026 Goldwater Scholarship competition, 1,485 outstanding undergraduates were nominated by 482 institutions. Jin and Karai were among 454 new scholars selected. Both students are members of MSU’s Honors College.
“Lauren Jin and Aswath Karai are pursuing excellence through the Honors College and expanding Michigan State University’s impressive footprint in undergraduate research,” said Honors College Dean Glenn Chambers, Ph.D. “I applaud these scholars on their well-deserved achievements and dedication.”
“Congratulations to these hardworking students and thank you to the faculty mentors and student mentor Aaron Philip who helped make this achievement possible,” said Assistant Dean and Director of the MSU Distinguished Student Awards Office Kristin Janka, Ph.D. She noted Philip earned the 2024 Goldwater Scholarship and has offered his time and knowledge to help others pursue the award.
Funding for the Goldwater Scholarship is a collaboration between the U.S. Congress and the Department of Defense’s National Defense Education Program.
Lauren Jin
Aswath KaraiLauren Jin: Advancing nuclear physics with machine learning
Jin is a third-year Honors College student majoring in advanced physics with a minor in mathematics through the College of Natural Science.
“I am grateful and humbled to be selected as one of this year’s Goldwater Scholars. This recognition reflects the tremendous guidance and support of my mentors and peers, who have all inspired me to pursue a career in physics,” Jin said.
“I want to especially thank my research mentors – Drs. Ante Ravlic, Pablo Giuliani, Kyle Godbey, and Witek Nazarewicz for their encouragement, patience, and example. I’m honored to share this achievement with them,” Jin said.
Jin joined the research group of Professor Witek Nazarewicz, Ph.D., in 2024, where she was introduced to theoretical nuclear physics at MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.
In that group she connected with Graduate Student Success Specialist Pablo Giuliani, Ph.D., and Research Assistant Professor Kyle Godbey, Ph.D.
Nazarewicz, Giuliani, and Godbey described Jin as “an endless source of creativity and tenacity.”
“Lauren being honored with a Goldwater Scholarship is both a recognition of her incredible work thus far and an important milestone in what is sure to be a vibrant career ahead,” they said.
Jin’s research centers on developing computational surrogate models, or emulators, using artificial intelligence and machine learning to approximate the behavior of these calculations at a fraction of the computational cost.
Her work spans several efforts, including scaling an emulator for a large Bayesian calibration study and collaborating with scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to extend the framework to models that target different regions of the nuclear chart.
The ultimate goals? Developing a software package for the emulator to broaden access and support robust computational pipelines, as well as creating interactive, open-source resources for broader public use.
“Our research group is highly interdisciplinary and requires students to obtain expertise in areas spanning nuclear science, machine learning, and advanced computing – a big ask for any undergraduate researcher just starting their careers,” Nazarewicz, Giuliani, and Godbey said.
“Viewing this breadth as a fun challenge, Lauren has excelled during her time with the group and has published high-impact work in a leading interdisciplinary journal, presented her work at top conference in our field, and kicked off multiple collaborations with researchers around the United States to expand her impact,” they said.
Jin is from Troy, Michigan, and attended International Academy East.
(L to R): Godbey, Giuliani, Jin, and Guskiewicz. Photo courtesy of Andrew Jeglic and the MSU Graduate School.
(L to R): Jin, Giuliani, and Godbey. Photo courtesy of Andrew Jeglic and the MSU Graduate School.Aswath Karai: A closer look at the hidden architecture of fungi
Karai is a third-year Honors College student majoring in chemistry through the College of Natural Science, while minoring in global public health and epidemiology with the College of Human Medicine and pharmacology and toxicology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
For the past three years, Karai has been working in the lab of Professor Tuo Wang, Ph.D., examining the cell wall structure of pathogenic fungi using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance. He has presented his research at multiple conferences, co-authored two publications, and submitted a third manuscript for publication.
Karai spent a summer conducting research at the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy under Assistant Professor Juan Guan, Ph.D., investigating phase separation of oncogenic proteins. He has also participated in the Honors College’s Professorial Assistantship program, which is offered to the top 1% of students in the nation and provides a two-year paid research placement with a faculty member.
Karai is from Okemos, Michigan, and attended Okemos High School.