The email came during winter break, shortly after New Year’s Day. Weeks had passed since Oregon State physics senior Madalyn Gragg found herself a 2024 Goldwater Scholar nominee — the nation’s top STEM award for sophomores and juniors. She’d spent the time anxiously waiting for the notification to appear in her inbox. When it did, Gragg held her breath, readied herself for rejection, and opened it.
Immediately, she assumed there was a mistake. She rushed to her parents so they could read it, but they saw the same thing she did: an acceptance letter. Out of over 5,000 applicants, she’d made it through and become the College of Science’s 28th Goldwater Scholar, the most to date of any college at Oregon State. Since 1991, Oregon State University has celebrated 48 honorees total.
“I was so shocked because on paper, all I saw was a person who hasn't taken X, Y and Z classes and has only done one year of research,” she recalled. “I had a more limited belief in myself that winning the award helped me overcome, like maybe I can become a highly contributing scientist to society.”
Coming from an environment with few pathways into science, she hopes to show others that they can follow their curiosity and ambition wherever they lead through hard work and resolve.
Pursuing her passion degree
In Gragg’s words, there’s rural, and then there’s hyper-rural. She describes her hometown of 30 to 40 people as the latter.
Growing up in such a small community meant she had to forge her own path to STEM. Her schools relied on the Title I Federal Education Program, receiving funding from the government to serve children in impoverished communities. College preparation systems assumed standard in many school districts were limited or nonexistent. Yet, she was determined to follow her passion.
Gragg recalls watching countless Youtube videos focused on STEM and driving more than 60 miles to take the SAT, which was required for undergraduate admittance at the time. But when it came to college, the barriers loomed higher than ever.
“As a kid, I always associated education with costing a lot of money,” she said. It was a hurdle that pervaded every thought of further learning. Fortunately, Gragg’s circles encouraged her to leap over it. Her mother advised her to begin working as soon as possible at 14-years-old, and when she learned of Oregon State’s in-state tuition and financial aid awards, the pieces started falling into place.
“I knew that if I could get into Oregon State, I would have an environment where there were going to be more opportunities available than people needing them,” she said.
The chance to be part of ongoing research was one of the university’s biggest draws. After she was accepted in 2020, the potential not only to contribute to science but to show that it was possible to overcome the obstacles she faced became infinitely more real.
"I knew that if I could get into Oregon State, I would have an environment where there were going to be more opportunities available than people needing them."
“I wanted to be the one who successfully committed to this thing and proved that even if we don’t have a proper science background compared to many people or a nice urban environment, we can still endure the struggle to get to our end goal,” she said.
Initially, Gragg came to OSU seeking an engineering degree because of its close ties to familiar trade jobs, such as the electricians and machinists that made up much of her community.
Although she was thrilled with the sudden burst of science avenues available to her, there was a creeping feeling that students who’d had access to AP courses and other resources in high school were pulling ahead, leaving her behind.
Where they saw simple review material, she saw an intimidating challenge. It became easy to wonder if she belonged in her courses. This feeling was compounded when the general physics series crept up the horizon and those same students recalled horror stories of their past physics experiences.
But when the class began, Gragg was surprised to find herself fascinated by it. She simultaneously took a course on materials science and the two melded together like a key into a lock. Her eyes were opened to the wide and growing world of nanoscience. From enhancing current technology to creating more sustainable alternatives, the field inspired her like nothing else had.
“I thought, this seems like I will be able to fulfill my scientific curiosities while helping society and pushing innovation,” Gragg said. With that, she added a physics major to her studies and never looked back.
Success in undergrad research
Gragg’s newfound passion fueled her to push full steam ahead. She began thinking about where nanoscience could take her post-graduation. After talking with her professors, she learned that graduate school programs didn’t present as extreme of a financial challenge as she initially expected. Many Ph.D. students are funded and the vast spread of choices for undergraduate research at Oregon State would boost her applications.
“My professors reassured me that some of the barriers I thought were there were not, and if they were, I could persevere through them. I don't know how many other people have similar thoughts or barriers, but I want to help them realize there are ways of pursuing your passion without giving up. Maybe my specific circumstances are not theirs, but I hope that messaging can be heard,” Gragg said.
After speaking with her general physics instructor, Paul Emigh, and completing the sequence, Gragg decided to pursue a physics-oriented job and began working as a learning assistant for his class. She had no idea this choice would domino into her eventual Goldwater scholarship.
"Winning an award won't fundamentally change you as a scientist. What you do on an everyday basis is what makes you a scientist."
One day while Gragg was completing her usual rounds as an LA, she noticed a woman taking notes unrelated to physics. She wasn’t aware it was Professor Oksana Ostroverkhova sitting in on Emigh’s class, who was up for a promotion, and asked if she needed help with a problem. Although nothing came of their interaction at the time, when Gragg was later searching for research mentors, she found Ostroverkhova’s work on organic materials and reached out.
“I joined her research group and months later she told me, ‘By the way, I knew that you would work hard in our lab because I saw you working hard as an LA,’” Gragg said.
In the lab, Gragg studies organic molecular materials which are growing in popularity for their highly tunable nature and potential as an environmentally friendly electronics resource. Her work specifically looks at photovoltaic applications that can harvest energy from the sun. Using lasers and Python analysis among other techniques, she can discover what prohibits the success of organics so their use can be expanded in the future.
Gragg’s great efforts led Ostroverkhova to nominate her for a Goldwater scholarship, and the rest is history. Now that she has been honored as a recipient, Gragg will give a speech at the OSU President’s Dinner and plans to pursue a Ph.D. after graduation. Her work has culminated in co-authorship on multiple papers and inspired her to lead STEM outreach efforts.
However, she emphasizes that while the award is an amazing recognition, it doesn’t define who she is.
“Winning an award won't fundamentally change you as a scientist. What you do on an everyday basis is what makes you a scientist,” she said. “My perception was if you won those awards it meant you must be a perfect scientist, likely arising from a tailored background, and I'm definitely not. This won't magically fix my struggles in science. It’s how I endure my struggles that determines who I am, and I was doing that before.”
