Washington: Seven Indian American college students have been awarded the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship that would fund their educational expenses in the coming years, a media report said on Tuesday. Of the over 1,660 students who applied for the award this year, 283 were selected, making this one of the most competitive years for the award, American Bazaar online reported Tuesday. The Indian American students selected this year are: Swati Sureka, a biology and chemistry double-major at Cornell University; Radhika Agarwal, a biochemistry and biology double-major at Indiana University in Bloomington; Adam Ramsaran, a neuroscience major at the University of Delaware; Sivabalan Manivasagam, a chemistry major from the University of North Texas; Tushar Swamy, an electrical engineering and physics double-major from Northeastern University; Loveprit Singh, a chemistry and applied mathematics double-major from the University of Oregon and Nitin Anantha Krishna, a mathematics and computer science double-major at Western Kentucky University.

Established in 1986 and named after former Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, the scholarship seeks to award individuals who are pursuing high-level careers in the hard sciences. The scholarship given by The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, has been one of the most prestigious undergraduate award given in the sciences. The scholars include undergraduate sophomores (second-year students) and juniors from the US. 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.