OHIO's 2024 Goldwater winners: Greta Hibbard

In a rare and unprecedented achievement, all four of Ohio University’s internal nominees for the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship won the award in 2024. The award honors college sophomores and juniors who have excelled in natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. OHIO’s winners Greta Hibbard, Ben Stiadle, Brady Phelps and Jayanna Smith illuminate the success of STEM studies at OHIO and serve as inspiration for new students and alumni alike.

Greta Hibbard is a senior studying engineering physics in OHIO’s Honors Tutorial College.

“The award is definitely exciting,” Hibbard says. “It made me feel like my research was good, or better than good! Being a woman studying STEM, especially physics, it is hard to feel like I belong, so getting the award made me feel like my research was valuable and worth noticing.”

Hibbard’s research focuses on optimization techniques for the advance of a fusion reactor design. She uses machine learning to expedite exploration of a design space in order to ensure that reactors can safely handle conditions for nuclear fusion. She worked with Dr. Jacob Schwartz at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory to create a new machine learning algorithm for fusion reactor optimization.

Dr. Carl Brune, a professor in the physics and astronomy department, talks about Hibbard’s research.

“Greta Hibbard is a brilliant young physicist that is also interested in making the world a better place,” Brune says. “Her research conducted at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is a great example of this. This work, which involves computer modeling of fusion of atoms at extremely high temperatures, will hopefully lead to a practical energy source in the future.”

Dr. David Drabold, director of studies for HTC physics and astrophysics, has worked with Hibbard in the past and also contributed a recommendation letter for her Goldwater application.

“Greta is highly motivated, and has very specific goals,” Drabold says. “She is always planning ahead, which is a signature of the most promising students. Her success with the Goldwater scholarship is a tribute to her intelligence and dedication. We are very proud of her!”

Hibbard shares some advice and what she has learned along the way for other motivated students.

“It's normal to feel confused in your research” Hibbard said. “But I learned that you are never going to know everything, especially in physics. There's always more to learn, that’s the best part! Learn to feel comfortable not perfecting a skill on your first attempt, be ready and willing to learn. Because if you try hard enough, you will learn it. Channel your confusion into curiosity!”

She adds a last word about the best strategy for seeking out awards.

“Just apply for everything you can and have the time and energy to. You never know when something's going to work out.”

Hibbard says she would like to acknowledge Dr. Jacob Schwartz, Dr. Chris Lewis, Dr. David Drabold, Dr. Carl Brune, Dr. Daniel Phillips, and Dr. Roxanne Male-Brune for their assistance on the application and for providing her with research opportunities and guidance throughout her undergraduate career.