Alan Kuhnle, an undergraduate mathematics major, has won a 2009 Goldwater Scholarship, one of the nation’s top awards for students majoring in math, science, or engineering. Kuhnle, a junior from Oxford, Miss. who was previously a physics major, had received an honorable mention from the Goldwater Foundation in 2008. Kuhnle has done undergraduate research and is co-author on a paper published in The Physical Review B. Per Arne Rikvold, the James G. Skofronick Professor of Physics, who nominated Kuhnle for the Goldwater, said, “What makes Alan special is not just his considerable mathematical and computation skills but even more his independence of thought and his drive to see a project through with minimal guidance.” Kuhnle, who plans to earn his Ph.D. in mathematics, has his sights set on an academic career. According to scholarship officials, 278 students have been awarded scholarships for 2009-2010, with each award worth up to $7,500 per year.