SLU Student Earns Prestigious STEM Scholarship
04/17/2025
Saint Louis University student Pascal Sikorski has earned a Goldwater Scholarship.
Sikorski, a junior pursuing a BS in Computer Science and a minor in Philosophy, earned the prestigious award after a lengthy interview process. The Goldwater Scholarship is a prestigious national undergraduate award for students in STEM who intend to pursue a career in STEM research after graduation.

Pascal Sikorski. Submitted photo.
Sikorski’s career goal is to earn his doctorate in computer science and become a professor. He seeks to research and improve the “interaction between intent-driven assistive robotics and humans through perception and dexterous manipulation.”
Last summer, Sikorski was a researcher at Caltech as a WAVE Fellow in the Advanced Mechanical Bipedal Experimental Robotics Lab (AMBER Lab), creating safety filters for movement in areas of uncertainty with robots. In 2025, he will do research at Oregon State University's Intelligent Machines and Materials Lab (IMML) on creating a robotic manipulation workflow to work alongside humans in the environmental sector.
Goldwater Scholars receive $7,500 towards their tuition and fees.
Over its 30-year history, Goldwater Scholarships have been awarded to thousands of undergraduates, many of whom have gone on to win other prestigious awards like the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Fellowship, Rhodes Scholarship, Churchill Scholarship and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship that support our Scholars’ graduate school work.
The Goldwater Foundation awarded 441 new scholarships in 2025.
Those interested in applying for a Goldwater Foundation Scholarship or another nationally or internationally competitive scholarship or fellowship should contact Rebecca Muich, Ph.D., at rebecca.muich@slu.edu or visit the Office of Competitive Fellowships and Scholarships webpage for more information.
Latest Newslink
- SLU Chess Qualifies for Collegiate Chess ChampionshipThe Saint Louis University Chess Team is heading to the Collegiate Chess Championship. The Billikens recently competed in the 2026 Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Championship in Oak Brook, IL. SLU's A Team finished fourth and secured a spot Collegiate Chess Championship finals, known as the President's Cup or colloquially as the "Final Four." Additionally, the SLU B-Team was the top women's squad at the tournament and will advance to the inaugural Women's President's Cup.
- Building Connection and Collaboration: SLU President, Local Leaders Headline Leadership Speaker SeriesSaint Louis University’s Emerson Leadership Institute and Edward Jones Speaker Series will feature SLU President Edward Feser, Ph.D., as part of a joint speaker series on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Feser will speak on the theme, “Great Cities, Great Universities: Leading With Hope to Strengthen Our Shared Community,” sharing his vision for how SLU can lead boldly, collaborate meaningfully, and serve as an anchor of opportunity in St. Louis.
- SLU Hosting Journalists for 'Candid Conversations in Turbulent Times'The Saint Louis University American Studies Department will host award-winning ABC News anchor Linsey Davis and SLU alum John Krull (American Studies, '84) for the program "Candid Conversations in Turbulent Times." The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in the Anheuser Busch Auditorium in Cook Hall.
- Kathryn Mitchell Pierce, Ph.D.: 1955-2025Kathryn Mitchell Pierce, Ph.D., associate professor of educational studies, died Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. She was 70 years old. Pierce joined Saint Louis University in 2015 as an assistant professor in the School of Education. Initially a literacy specialist in the undergraduate program, she eventually taught and mentored across all levels at the School of Education. She became an associate professor in 2022.
- Saint Louis University Student Speaks About Leadership and Disability at Ignatian Family Teach-In for JusticeSaint Louis University senior Grace LoPiccolo shared her personal leadership journey at the 2025 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice. The event, held annually in Washington, D.C., is the nation’s largest Catholic social justice advocacy day.
- SLU Research Shows Surge in Alcohol-Related Liver Disease Driving ‘Deaths of Despair’Researchers at Saint Louis University School of Medicine say deaths from alcohol-related liver disease have surged in recent years, and the increase is hitting people without a college degree the hardest. While nearly every demographic group is seeing higher death rates—including those with college degrees—the gap between economically disadvantaged groups and more affluent ones is growing, according to new research.









