OHIO's 2024 Goldwater winners: Ben Stiadle

Benjamin Stiadle is shown with his research project at the Student Research Expo

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 Ben Stiadle, Greta Hibbard, Brady Phelps and Jayanna Smith illuminate the success of STEM studies at OHIO and serve as inspiration for new students and alumni alike.

Ben Stiadle is a senior double majoring in applied math and molecular biology. He is from King Ferry, NY.

“I feel like it shows just how great of a support system I have here at OU…and what a great family I’ve come from,” Stiadle says. “They’ve helped me through some really difficult times and so I think it shows that in the right circumstances, anyone can succeed and it's made me want to help others get into the same sort of spot and achieve their goals as well. I think it's not only about recognizing where you are right now, but also what you continue to do in the future.”

Stiadle’s research investigates treatments for Type 2 diabetes. He uses a florescent probeto track the amount of calcium in the beta cell in real time in order to better understand the role of the sodium-potassium ATPase (NKA), an ion exchanger in cells. Stiadle works with Dr. Craig Nunemaker to further his interest and understanding of the treatment process for chronic diseases. He has continued his research since his Goldwater application.

“Insulin is a key factor in keeping blood sugar in check to prevent diabetes,” Nunemaker explains. “Ben identified a powerful effect of a sodium-potassium-ATPase on how insulin-producing cells work. His project focusses on how a factor called somatostatin interacts with sodium-potassium-ATPases to change the patterns of activity of these insulin-producing cells to improve regulation of blood sugar.”

“I think we have some really good research programs in STEM here at OU, and I'm hoping [the award recognition] kindles or inspires more people to apply here to go into our research programs to continue some of the these projects,” Stiadle says.

Dr. Janet Duerr , associate professor in the Department of Biology, assisted with Stiadle’s application and contributed a recommendation letter for his Goldwater application.

“Ben is exceptional academically, in both his applied math and biological sciences majors,” Dr. Duerr says. “His combination of knowledge and research skills in math and biology is very unusual; he has used these to study an important aspect of regulation of insulin production in the lab of Dr. Nunemaker.”

Stiadle offers some advice for OHIO students who are pursuing recognition for their STEM research.

“Just trust the process,” Stiadle says. “There are a lot of people that support you and care about you. Even if you don’t ultimately reach that end goal of getting the application in, that doesn’t mean that this was a worthless process. You just have to continue carrying yourself along…believing the people around you and you’ll get there.”

Stiadle would like to acknowledge the following people for their help through the process of his Goldwater achievement: