Wiedenheft is the second A&T student and the first College of Engineering student to win the highly sought after scholarship.

This year, the Goldwater Scholarship was awarded to approximately 283 college sophomores and juniors in the United States, selected from a field of 1,166 students who were nominated by their universities. The award provides students with a maximum grant of $7,500 that will cover tuition, fee, books, and room and board.

"This is an outstanding achievement. We are extremely proud of Kris for being the College of Engineering’s first Goldwater Scholarship recipient. She is an example of the talented, well-rounded, high-achieving engineers that we are dedicated to producing,” said Dr. Robin Coger, dean of the College of Engineering.

Wiedenheft, a native of Connecticut, is a junior mechanical engineering student.

Wiedenheft, a transfer student to the university, earned an associate’s degree in engineering science at Hudson Valley Community College. Before transferring to A&T, Wiedenheft worked as a mechanical technician at the research and development facility of Prestone Products. She is performing research in fluid physics (capillary physics space experiment) through a joint NASA funded research project with the A&T Astronautics Thermal & Fluids Research Team and Purdue University.

“Winning the Goldwater scholarship emphasizes my commitment to academic excellence and research and demonstrates my ability to achieve my career goals. The financial aspects of this award will enable me to pursue my education and research through the upcoming school year,” said Wiedenheft.

She is also a participant of the North Carolina Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (NC-LSAMP) at A&T. This summer, Wiedenheft will intern with the research department of the Chemical Combustion and Fluid Flight Systems Group at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Her ultimate goal is to earn a PhD in aerospace engineering and to conduct research in fluid physics and fluid modeling at a national laboratory or research institution.

Coger thanked faculty and staff – Drs. Devdas Pai, John Kizito, Marcia Williams, and Anna Whiteside – who supported and mentored Wiedenheft through the process.