Purdue student to study at Cambridge under prestigious Churchill Scholarship

WEST LAFAYETTE – The Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States has named Purdue University student Daniel Gochenaur one of 17 Churchill Scholars for 2021. 

Daniel Gochenaur

The highly competitive Churchill Scholarship, founded at the request of Winston Churchill, provides funding to U.S. students for a year of graduate study in science, mathematics and engineering at the University of Cambridge, with residence in Churchill College. 

Gochenaur, from Centerville, Ohio, is a senior majoring in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. He has conducted original research in hypersonics and collaborated with others in higher education and beyond. These experiences include internships with the Air Force Research Laboratory and The Boeing Co.’s Phantom Works Virtual Warfare Center, as well as public presentations, such as the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ international conference Sci-Tech Forum. The conference session honored Gochenaur with the “best presentation” award.

For his own part, Gochenaur is looking forward to the collaborative aspect of the experience.

“Fundamentally, engineering is a team sport,” he said. “Almost every major breakthrough, invention and scientific discovery is produced by the work of a team. With that in mind, I hope to strengthen the bond between the U.S. and U.K. aerospace communities to form a more effective research consortium and hasten hypersonic development.”

Mung Chiang, Purdue’s John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering and the Roscoe H. George Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said, “We are proud that Daniel Gochenaur has been selected to this prestigious opportunity bearing the name of the landmark leader in the history of the free world. Daniel’s work at Purdue AAE reflects the best of the learning, research and engagement in the mission of this land-grant institution.”

Gochenaur is Purdue’s third Churchill recipient in recent years. Purdue students apply for the Churchill Scholarship through the National and International Scholarships Office, which is housed in Purdue’s Honors College. NISO develops student scholars’ skills as they prepare their applications for an interdisciplinary faculty panel that selects up to two students to receive the university’s endorsement for this award.