Three Kansas University juniors have been awarded Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships, which are regarded as the top undergraduate award in science, engineering and mathematics.

The winners, announced Wednesday, are Shawn Henderson, of Wichita; David Hover, of Overland Park; and Hannah Swift, of Olathe. They were among the 320 scholars who were selected from an applicant pool of more than 1,000.

The scholarships, given by the Washington, D.C.-based Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, provide up to $7,500 annually in tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Winners who will graduate in 2006 receive one year of support; those graduating in 2007 receive two years.

The awards are open to sophomores or juniors who have outstanding academic records, significant research experience and high potential for a career in mathematics, natural sciences or engineering.

Since the awards’ founding in 1989, 38 KU students have received Goldwater scholarships.

Henderson is majoring in physics and mathematics and wants to teach and research high-energy physics at a university. He has worked in the research lab of David Besson, professor of physics.

Hover, a physics and mathematics major with a minor in philosophy, has worked in the lab of Alice Bean, physics professor. His research interests include experimental physics and renewable energy.

Swift is majoring in physics, astronomy and mathematics. She plans a career researching particle astrophysics and has worked with the cosmology group at KU under the direction of Adrian Melott, professor of physics and astronomy.