The Barry Goldwater Scholarship is awarded to outstanding college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. This year, Kevin Ye is the recipient of the 2017-2018 Goldwater Scholarship, selected from a pool of 1,286 applicants nationwide.
Kevin is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and plans to complete a Physics minor. Kevin’s research interests are the synthesis and development of ternary materials for sustainable energy applications, such as improving solar cell efficiency. Kevin has an impressive record of research projects both on and off campus, including the USC Laboratory for Complex Materials and Devices and the UD Center for Fuel Cell Research. He is the recipient of multiple merit awards including the USC Presidential Half Tuition Scholarship, the USC Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship (Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017), and the Rose Hills Foundation Summer Fellowship (Summer 2016). Kevin plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Materials Science and go on to conduct research on designing new energy-efficient materials and teaching at a research university. This summer Kevin will be conducting research at UC Berkeley for the E3S Summer REU.