Two juniors at Kansas University and a Free State High School graduate have won national Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships.

The scholarships encourage excellence in science, engineering and mathematics.

At KU, Brandon James DeKosky, Overland Park, and Rebecca Marie Getman, Chesterfield, Mo., won the scholarships; both are preparing for careers in scientific research.

DeKosky works with chemical engineers at KU seeking clues to regeneration of tissue. Getman works with KU researchers on the development of drugs to treat HIV and AIDS.

Jack Berkowitz, a 2007 graduate of Free State and son of David and Katherine Berkowitz of Lawrence, also won a scholarship. He is a sophomore at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he is researching magnetic imaging of glass, his father said.

The three students are among 278 scholarship winners who will receive up to $7,500 for tuition, fees, books, and room and board.

Sue Lorenz, Goldwater representative at KU and interim director of the Office of Study Abroad, said it was wonderful to see what the students had accomplished so far and what they were headed for in the future.

She said the program required students to be pursuing a research career.

“I join others across the campus today in congratulating Brandon and Rebecca on this outstanding achievement,” KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway said in a statement. “We also are proud that two more KU students earned honorable mentions in this prestigious competition. As young scientists, each has demonstrated not only a desire to improve lives but also a drive to achieve at the highest level academically.”

Christopher Blake Martin, a KU sophomore from Manhattan, and Richard Z. Robinson, a KU junior in mathematics from Garnett, each received honorable mentions. Both students worked on research related to the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva.