Meet the New Face of Engineering and Computing:
Joey Montoya
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Joey Montoya, a junior, has added a Goldwater Scholarship to the impressive list of those he has already received, including the Carolina, Lieber, Robert C. Byrd, Palmetto Fellows, and National
Merit Scholarships. He is a member of the Pi Mu Epsilon math honor society and of the Omega Chi Epsilon chemical engineering honor society.
As someone who has always liked chemistry, Montoya has participated in many math competitions. He was a finalist in the American Chemical Society’s American Chemistry Olympiad and served as president of the Quizbowl Academic Team competing at the American Chemical Federation’s Fall Tournament. Under the direction of Drs. Chris Williams and John Monnier, he has conducted research on bimetallic catalysts.
A graduate of Summerville High School, Montoya is the son of Barry Montoya, a middle school band director, and Dr. Sara Montoya, a family practitioner. He shares his father’s aptitude for music and is minoring in music performance. He is a member of the Palmetto Pans Steel Drum Ensemble and also plays piano. He will spend the summer in Thailand as a participant in the University of Arizona’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.
About the Goldwater Scholarship
Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,035 mathematics, science, and engineering students, nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The one and two year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.
The Goldwater Scholarship is awarded nationally to sophomores and juniors pursuing bachelors’ degrees in natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering and intending to pursue a career in research and/or college-level teaching: virtually all the scholars intend to obtain a PhD in their respective fields. The University, as well as all other institutions of higher education, may only nominate four students for this award.
This marks the eighteenth straight year that USC has had Goldwater Scholars. A total of 34 Goldwater Scholarships have been won by USC students since 1990.
Montoya, a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering and minoring in Mathematics and Music Performance, is a member of the South Carolina Honors College and holds the University’s prestigious Carolina Scholarship, awarded by both the William B. Douglas and the David W. Robinson scholarship funds. Montoya has also been awarded the Lieber Scholarship, the Robert C. Byrd Memorial Scholarship, the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, and the National Merit Scholarship. A graduate of Summerville High School and an Eagle Scout, he is a member of the math honor society Pi Mu Epsilon, and the chemical engineering honor society, Omega Chi Epsilon; he was a finalist in the ACS American Chemistry Olympiad and a member of the Academic Team competing at the ACF Fall Quizbowl Tournament. Mr. Montoya compliments his engineering expertise with piano study with Dr. Joseph Rackers, performances as a member of the Palmetto Pans Steel Drum Ensemble and membership in the Reformed University Fellowship. His on-going research interest is catalysis and the results of his work in the lab of Dr. Christopher Williams and Dr. John Monnier in the University of South Carolina’s Chemical Engineering Department have been published in the NY 2007 scientific journal, Catalysis Today. He hopes that his knowledge of catalysis will benefit the environmental protection and economic improvement of our society.
The University’s Goldwater Committee chaired by Dr. Douglas Meade (Mathematics) and including other faculty members Dr. Sarah Baxter (Mechanical Engineering), Dr. Scott Goode (Chemistry), Dr. David Reisman (Biology), and Dr. Alicia Wilson (Geological Sciences) worked closely with all the University nominees in preparing their applications. The Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs (www.sc.edu/ofsp) further assisted the Goldwater applicants.
