First-generation college student wins prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

A prestigious scholarship will help a Central Michigan University meteorology student to find success as an aspiring researcher.

Jacob Dengate, a first-generation college student from Grand Rapids, has overcome many challenges on his way to pursuing a bachelor’s degree.

“In high school, I was actively discouraged from pursuing my dreams of becoming a scientist, and for a while this prevented me from taking steps toward making my dreams a reality,” he said. “Additionally, as a low-income student, I spend a lot of my time working at my retail job in order to survive.”

After making his way to CMU, he discovered the meteorology program which prepared him for a summer research internship with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, CO.

“Courses in our program require students to read published papers, perform spatial data analysis of large datasets, and learn directly from the research done by other scientists in the field,” he said. “The technical skills I learned at CMU allowed me to transition easily into leading my own research team this past summer at NCAR.”

Interests in cloud physics and convective storm simulations shaped Dengate’s internship project on ice-phase microphysics in idealized convective environments. He is continuing this research at CMU with the support of Marty Baxter.

Dengate’s academic and research accomplishments are being recognized by his selection for a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship which includes access to a professional network.

The Goldwater Foundation seeks to support college sophomores and juniors who demonstrate strong potential to join the next generation of leaders in STEM research. Dengate was selected from a competitive pool of 1,485 top U.S. applicants nominated by 482 institutions to receive this award. 

Dengate is grateful for the opportunities and support that he has received, and he wants to pay it back.

“As a first-generation student and someone who did not have the resources to pursue science growing up, it is easy to feel small and unworthy,” he said. “With the amazing resources I’ve gained by attending CMU, and the valuable network I’ve fostered through CMU and NCAR, I have been able to continuously overcome prior environmental disadvantages and pursue scientific research.”

“I hope to show others with similar backgrounds to mine that anything is possible.”