Three South Students Win Goldwater Scholarships
Posted on April 2, 2025
Three University of South Alabama students have been named Goldwater Scholars for 2025. They are among only nine students in the state to receive the award.
Genevieve Batman, Mary Helene Marmande and Gabriel Merchant, all members of the Honors College, are among new 441 college Goldwater Scholarship recipients nationwide, the program announced. From an estimated pool of more than 5,000 college sophomores and juniors, these scholars in STEM were chosen from 1,350 outstanding undergraduates who were nominated by 445 institutions across the United States.
Considered one of the most prestigious undergraduate STEM scholarships in the country, the scholarship covers tuition, room and board, book expenses and fees up to $7,500 annually. Sophomore scholars receive the scholarship for two years, and juniors receive it for one year.
The Goldwater Scholarship Program was established in 1986 to honor then-U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater.
鈥淭his recognition only validates what all of us already know: We have the nation鈥檚 best enrolled in our classes, engaged in the research activities across campus and serving within our community,鈥� said Dr. David Forbes, professor of chemistry and campus representative of the Goldwater program.
Genevieve Batman, a junior majoring in exercise science and interdisciplinary studies, plans to pursue a doctorate of osteopathic medicine and a Ph.D. in structural anatomy and rehabilitative sciences. She aims to pioneer research investigating the mechanisms and treatments of muscular injury in performing artists. Her mentors at South include Dr. Neil Schwarz, associate professor and department chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Sport.
Throughout childhood, Batman, who is from Western Maryland, trained to become a professional cellist; she won awards, played with orchestras worldwide and performed at Carnegie Hall. But serious wrist and shoulder injuries from intense practice stalled her dream, and medical specialists offered no solutions. She marched for a season with the Troopers drum and bugle corps and found the same lack of medical expertise in response to performing artists. Those experiences drove her to her research field.
Mary Helene Marmande, a sophomore chemistry major, plans to pursue an M.D. and Ph.D. in biochemistry and medical chemistry to focus on drug discovery. She said she has always wanted to go into medicine and decided to major in chemistry to prepare for that. But while working on an interdisciplinary project with her mentors 鈥� Dr. Richard Honkanen, professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Forbes 鈥� she discovered her passion for research.
鈥淩esearch was a world that I had never had the opportunity to explore before coming to college, so I decided to start getting involved early,鈥� said Marmande, a graduate of UMS-Wright Preparatory School in Mobile.
Outside her academic life, Marmande is passionate about music; she鈥檚 been playing the piano for 14 years.
Gabriel Merchant, a junior from Elberta, Alabama, plans to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry, specializing in bioinorganic chemistry.
He plans to study inorganic compounds in order to understand and mitigate their adverse effects on the environment and human health and aims to become a professor of chemistry.
His mentors at South are Dr. James H. Davis Jr., professor of chemistry, and Dr. Terrence Ravine, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences.
Merchant was in the chemistry lab when he got the news that he was among this year鈥檚 class of Goldwater Scholars 鈥� he had been waiting, and the announcement came out at the exact minute it was scheduled to 鈥� so there were plenty of fellow students who shared in his celebration.
Like his fellow scholarship winners, Merchant enjoys music. In 2022, the Elberta High School graduate played the euphonium in the Alabama All-State Band.
