Wake Forest student wins Goldwater Scholarship

She was among 309 undergraduate sophomores and juniors to receive Goldwater Scholarships. She was selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,115 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide.

Gillikin, a biology major, has done extensive research in the Galapagos Islands. She has been involved in several studies on the behavioral ecology of the waved albatross and the nazca booby, two bird species native to the Galapagos.

The scholarship provides $15,000 toward the cost of tuition for the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 academic years.

The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established in 1986. The scholarship program was designed to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.

Gillikin is the daughter of Patricia and John Killian.