Matthew Narter, a Presidential Scholar, graduated in 2006 with a major in Computational Physics major. To complete the international component of his scholarship, Matthew spent a summer in Costa Rica and it “ended up changing the direction” of his life. It was through this experience he became interested in a career in environmental engineering and restoration of natural resources. Due to the poverty in parts of Costa Rica, the beautiful river systems are being polluted daily. Matthew found himself taking his waste to where he worked because they had garbage pick-up, as opposed to others living in his apartment complex, who just threw everything into the nearby river.
Besides this international experience, Matthew volunteered at the Ecology Action Center in Normal and, among other duties, researched the local conservation of the Mackinaw River. He has been doing research in his major, participating in the Intense Laser Physics Theory Unit, since his first semester on campus, which led to several research presentations and publications. His department research advisor, Dr. Grobe, nominated him for the Goldwater, and his research experience has been an encouragement to continue to explore and discover and try again when something doesn’t work. He feels being involved in undergraduate research will be valuable as he pursues graduate studies in environmental engineering.
Through the process of completing this application, it caused him to look at things he has done and his strengths and weaknesses. His words of advice for future candidates are to “start early” and give yourself time to check over your responses with the advisor to allow for rewrites.
