Jasmine Baclig and Sara Alsaifi have been selected for 2024 Goldwater scholarships – the country’s most historic and prestigious national scholarships in natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. Baclig and Alsaifi were chosen for their potential to become the next generation of research leaders in these fields, and they join nine other Boise State students who have received Goldwater scholarships dating back to 1991.

Meet Jasmine

Jasmine Baclig is a chemistry major, minoring in computer science with a certificate in Spanish. Baclig’s family moved from the Philippines to the U.S. when she was in the eighth grade, and she became the first in her family to study in America.

She credits her family’s inquisitive nature for helping her ask the right questions and seek constant advice throughout high school.

“My journey to college was not easy, but the resourcefulness and perseverance instilled by my Filipino upbringing aided me,” she said.

During her first year at Boise State, Baclig became passionate about research.

“Though I was elated to start my first research project, I was also anxious and nervous about messing up,” she said. “But upon doing my first experiment, a postdoc said I was the first to purify RNA in the lab, which boosted my confidence. So I thought, ‘Maybe I’m cut out for research.’”

She is a Best Undergraduate Summer Research awardee from the 2023 INBRE conference, an NSF EPSCoR GEM3 Fellowship recipient, an NIH-INBRE Summer Research fellowship recipient, a content writer for the STEM-inclined Filipino youth-led organization Siyensiya, an organic chemistry tutor, an assistant to a chemistry lab instructor and an Honors College Social Committee member.

Baclig intends to pursue a Ph.D. in biomolecular science. She hopes to explore ways nucleic acids can be utilized in drug discovery to provide long-lasting, curative therapy for various diseases.

“I realized that it was my perseverance, not necessarily my technical skills, that made the difference in my success. And this perseverance was fueled by my love for problem-solving, which I have found ubiquitous in research,” she said. “I am eager to see what research problems lie ahead of me and how I will be a part of solving them in the future.”

About the Goldwater Scholarship

The Goldwater program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor the lifetime work of Senator Barry Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman. Goldwater Scholarships help ensure that the U.S. continues to produce highly qualified professionals in critical STEM fields. Today, Goldwater alumni can be found conducting research that benefits the nation, finding cures for catastrophic diseases and teaching future generations of scientists, mathematicians and engineers.