Cadets Lynch ’27 and Schleck ’27 Named Goldwater Scholars
Cadets B. Spencer Lynch and Mary Claire Schleck, both members of the Class of 2027, have been named 2026 Goldwater Scholars by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The prestigious scholarship recognizes outstanding college sophomores and juniors who demonstrate exceptional promise as future research leaders in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. With Lynch and Schleck’s selections, West Point has earned 20 Goldwater Scholarships since becoming eligible to compete for the award in 2018.
Lynch, a systems engineering major from Fort Collins, Colo., conducts research using computational methods and natural language processing to improve decision-making in high-consequence environments. Under the mentorship of Dr. Vikram Mittal, he has applied these tools to open-source intelligence related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and presented his research at several national conferences. He also gained research experience as a summer fellow at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. At West Point, Lynch serves as Brigade Operations Officer and leads the American Society for Engineering Management while also serving as president of Tau Beta Pi. He hopes to commission as an infantry officer and eventually serve as a strategic intelligence officer.
Schleck, a biology major from Metuchen, N.J., researches the molecular mechanisms of protein misfolding associated with neurodegenerative disease. Working with Dr. Ryan Limbocker and Lt. Col. Lucas Fallot, she explores questions at the intersection of neuroscience, medicine and military health. Her research experience, including an internship at the University of Florence through the Stamps Scholarship, has strengthened her goal of becoming a physician-scientist. Schleck currently serves as Brigade Academic Officer and plans to attend medical school after graduation, with the goal of becoming an Army doctor and advancing treatments for neurodegenerative conditions and traumatic brain injury.
Both cadets credited their mentors, research partners and families for supporting their academic journeys. “I am honored to represent the U.S. Military Academy as a 2026 Goldwater Scholar,” Lynch said, while Schleck described the scholarship as an opportunity to continue pursuing research that connects fundamental science and medicine to improve outcomes for patients and service members.
Read the press release at WestPoint.edu.
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