The Goldwater scholarships, administered by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, support talented undergraduate science majors. Students at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences have been consistent winners of the prestigious scholarships, with at least one receiving the honor every year since 2019.

This year’s awardees, biological sciences major Catcher Salazar and neuroscience major Jason Toliao, both plan to pursue advanced degrees and conduct medical research after they graduate from USC Dornsife.

Catcher Salazar

Junior Catcher Salazar’s initial interest in biology began in high school. “Ever since Mr. Jay Kulkarni, my freshman year biology teacher, made me pay attention in class . . . I have been fascinated with understanding how nature works, within and around us,” he says.

Now a biological sciences major at USC Dornsife, Salazar works in the lab of Leonardo Morsut, assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at Keck School of Medicine of USC. Salazar is leading a project focused on gastrulation, an essential step in mammalian embryonic development. Using stem cells from mouse embryos, he models this process to better understand it — including where it can go wrong and subsequently lead to diseases. The research has also received support from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a state agency that funds stem cell and regenerative medicine research.

After graduation, Salazar plans to pursue a Fulbright Scholarship, researching developmental biology in Europe. Next, he’d like to complete a PhD in systems and developmental biology before joining academia and starting a research lab of his own.

Jason Toliao

On his first day at USC Dornsife, junior Jason Toliao reached out to Keck School of Medicine’s Peter Chiarelli, assistant professor of clinical neurological surgery, and Pradip Chaudhari, associate professor of clinical pediatrics, to inquire about assisting with their research. The email led to an ongoing mentorship and 10 research projects with clinical implications.

Toliao’s work focuses primarily on pediatric brain neuroimaging, including Goldwater-supported research into hydrocephalus. He’s testing novel MRI sequences and hopes to implement them at various medical institutions for diagnostic use soon. His other projects are focused on traumatic brain injury and improving MRI imaging in the emergency setting.

Toliao’s interest in medicine arose from his own childhood experiences. Born premature at just 28 weeks, ongoing health problems necessitated frequent visits to doctor’s offices and numerous MRI scans while growing up. He now hopes to become a doctor to provide care to others, “just as my doctors helped me become healthy,” he says. After graduation next year, he’s aiming to attend medical school and continue research that uses neuroimaging to improve clinical practice.

About the scholarship

The U.S. Congress established the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation in 1986 as a living memorial to Sen. Barry Goldwater just prior to his retirement.

Goldwater Scholars receive assistance with their application from experts at USC Academic Honors and Fellowships. The office helps USC students earn competitive fellowships and other prestigious honors, providing advice, essay reviews and mock interviews to help them prepare for national competitions.