News Archives - 2000

Augsburg College junior Ryan Cobian, a 1997 graduate of St. Anthony Village High School, was one of 309 undergraduate students nationwide in the fields of mathematics, science and engineering to earn a prestigious Goldwater scholarship for the 2000-2001 academic year.

Goldwater scholarships are one- and two-year scholarships that cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board up to $7,500. Cobian, who plans to graduate from Augsburg in May 2001, received a one-year scholarship.

The scholarship winners were selected by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundations from more than 1,100 nominees by college and university faculties.

Cobian, who is majoring in physics and mathematics, is the fourth Augsburg student in the last five years to be named a Goldwater scholar, and this year he was one of 13 Minnesota natives to receive the award.

After graduating from Augsburg, Cobian, the son of Kenneth and Susan Cobian of St. Anthony, plans to pursue a graduate degree in electrical engineering. After graduate school, he is interested in a research and development career in either magnetic recording technology or microelectronics.

Cobian said the strong reputation of Augsburg's physics department and the research opportunities he knew he would have as an undergraduate are what attracted him to attend Augsburg.

While at Augsburg, Cobian has participated in two international space physics conferences, making an oral presentation at one conference and a poster presentation at another. In addition, he will be the second author of an academic paper that will be published this summer in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

The federally endowed Goldwater Foundation, now in its 12th year, has awarded 3,021 scholarships worth approximately $31 million since being established in 1986. The scholarship program was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. Goldwater scholarships are considered the premier undergraduate awards of their kinds in these fields.

Augsburg College is a private liberal arts college of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in the heart of the Twin Cities. Augsburg's 3,000 students come from diverse religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and are enrolled at the College in undergraduate day college, Weekend College and graduate programs.

Founded in 1869, the college emphasizes intellectual freedom in the search for knowledge; responsiveness to the needs of society and the world; and preparation of students for service and leadership in church and society.