After last year’s record-setting three UW-Eau Claire Goldwater recipients, this impressive pair of awardees demonstrates once again why faculty-mentored undergraduate research is a cornerstone of the Blugold education.
Only five students in the Universities of Wisconsin system are among the 454 Goldwater Scholarship Award recipients for 2026 — three students from UW-Madison and the two Blugolds. Each awardee will receive $7,500 in scholarships for the 2026-27 academic year. The two UW-Eau Claire recipients are:
- Cadence Cordova, a biochemistry/molecular biology major from Boise, Idaho
- Jadyn Hartwig, biochemistry/molecular biology major from Hudson
“We are so proud of Jadyn and Cadence. I’m also grateful for the unwavering commitment of the faculty mentors and staff who support undergraduate research at UW-Eau Claire,” Interim Chancellor Michael J. Carney says. “The fact that UW-Eau Claire has been home to six Goldwater Scholars in the past three years is remarkable. This national recognition is a testament to the caliber of our students and to the excellent research taking place at this extraordinary university.”
The Goldwater Scholarship Program has a mission to “identify, encourage, and financially support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this nation’s next generation of research leaders in in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics.”
This year scholarships are being awarded from a pool of 1,485 undergraduates nominated by 482 institutions.
Dr. Jonathan Rylander, director of the Center for Writing Excellence, was available to assist Cordova and Hartwig with the extensive application process for the awards and expresses deep pride for the hard work and dedication of these two students.
“It's work like this that makes me proud to teach and mentor students at UW-Eau Claire,” Rylander says. “Something that makes this campus especially unique is our approach not only to student-faculty collaborative research, but also to intensive, conversational-based mentoring. It's the kind of work that occurred over the course of intensive, frequent Goldwater meetings under the steady guidance and direction of Dr. Erica Benson. I'm beyond thrilled and proud of Cadence and Jadyn.”
Benson, executive director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, says that UW-Eau Claire's recent record of success with Goldwater Awards speaks volumes about the high-quality undergraduate experiences happening on this campus.
“Having back-to-back multiple recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship — and three years in a row of UWEC Goldwater Scholars — is recognition of the incredible undergraduate research opportunities and faculty mentoring at UWEC,” Benson says.
“Cadence and Jadyn are both stellar undergraduate researchers who have taken advantage of opportunities offered at UWEC. They have clearly positioned themselves to be successful leaders in their fields.”
