For some undergraduates concentrating in science, math or engineering, spring break brought a much-needed financial boost.

Last week three women and four men at the College were among over 300 students nationally to win the $7,500 Barry M. Goldwater scholarship.

David A. Boyajian '00 of Adams House, Adam E. Cohen '01 of Winthrop House, Lauren E. Hough '00 of Eliot House, Adam G. Mathews '01 of Mather House, David C. Shih '00 of Quincy House, Juile A. Roden '00 of Cabot House and Lauren K. Williams '00 of Pforzheimer House won the prestigious academic award.

The scholarship recognizes outstanding students from around the country doing academic research in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering.

The scholarship aims to encourage students to do graduate work in these fields, but the award money can be used to finance undergraduate education.

"The funny thing is, this scholarship will enable me, among other things, to take an art class during the evenings this summer, since I won't have to worry about saving my paycheck for books and semester expenses," said Roden, a biochemical sciences concentrator.

Other recipients said the money would give them and their families more options when considering how to pay for college.

"The money will help my family because my brother will be starting college next year as well," Matthews wrote in an e-mail message.

The $7,500 can be used to cover the costs of tuition, fees, books and room and board.

As part of their application process, students were required to describe a research project with which they were currently involved.

Roden works in Presley Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics R. John Collier's lab at Harvard Medical School studying the biological toxin anthrax.The goal of her research is to find out how the anthrax toxin is inserted into cells, she said.

Roden added that she plans do a thesis on her research and continue her research of protein structure in graduate school.

Cohen, a physics and chemistry concentrator, already holds a patent for his development of a new step in the

process of microchip manufacturing.

This is in addition to his current research work on the electrical properties of single layers of molecules.

Cohen fits his research into a current schedule that includes six classes--all but one in the sciences.

Boyajian works in a lab that studies pediatric oncology. The biochemical sciences concentrator also researches cell death.

All of the Goldwater recipients said theyplnned to attened graduate school to studyscience, engineering r math.

To receive the the scholarship, the recipientshad to be nominated by Harvard or RadiclifeCollege.

According to Michael S.Bonner '90, fellowshipsdirector at the office of Career Service, eightpeople were nominated last year out of a pool of36 applicants.

By fomally naming female applicants as studentsof Radicliffe college, Harvard is able tocircumvent rules that limit each school to fourentries in the national scholarship competition