Three Clemson students in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences have been named Goldwater Scholars. The scholars are Nyx Mashkow, Regan O’Neill and Ashton McEntarffer.
The Goldwater Scholarship is awarded to students who are majoring in the fields of engineering, science and math and aim to become professional researchers.
“To me the Goldwater Scholarship is not just a recognition of my efforts to become the best scientist I can be, but reassurance that I am going down the right path to becoming a research professor and researching machine learning as a career,” McEntarffer told The Tiger in an interview.
There were 441 scholars chosen for the 2025-2026 academic year after 1,350 students were nominated, according to the Goldwater Scholarship website.
The award is named after Barry Goldwater, a former United States senator from Arizona and a 1964 presidential candidate. The scholarship is a “preeminent undergraduate award of its type” for engineering, science and math.
“These students represent the best of what our college strives to cultivate — curiosity, innovation and a drive to solve real-world problems through research and discovery,” Thompson Mefford, the associate dean for undergraduate studies in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, told Clemson News.
Mashkow is a junior transfer student from Horry-Georgetown Technical College and is majoring in materials science and engineering. Her future plans include obtaining a Ph.D. in polymer science with an emphasis on “the synthesis of bioinspired materials and composite applications,” according to Clemson News.
She is part of Tau Beta Pi, an honor society for engineers, and the FIRST Generation Success Program, which supports first-generation college students. Her faculty mentors are Marek Urban, Samruddhi Gaikwad, Chris Cole and Griffin Donley.
O’Neill is a junior mechanical engineering major who aims to receive a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and do research on “sustainable space systems,” according to Clemson News.
She is a member of Tau Beta Pi like Mashkow, as well as the Clemson University Honors College and the Dixon Global Policy Scholars. O’Neill also serves as the vice president of Engineers Without Borders. Her faculty mentors are Qiushi Chen, Steve Kaeppler, Christopher Koehler and Yuhao Xu.
Additionally, O’Neill is the first Clemson student to receive the Brooke Owens Fellowship.
McEntarffer is a sophomore majoring in computer science. He plans on earning a Ph.D. in computer science with the goal of becoming a research professor, Clemson News states.
He is part of the Clemson University Honors College, the Design and Entrepreneurship Network and Upsilon Pi Epsilon, an honor society for computer science students. It is the “only globally recognized Computer Science Honor Society for higher education,” according to Upsilon Pi Epsilon’s website.
His faculty mentors are Mert Pese, Linxi Zhang, Joan Marler and Pedram Mohajer.
“I am excited to be a Goldwater Scholar because it lets me work with a dedicated community of students also pursuing research,” McEntarffer told The Tiger.
Students who would like to learn more about the Goldwater Scholarship can reach out to the Office of Major Fellowships by calling 864-656-9704 or emailing [email protected].
