W&L’s Emma Marvelli ’27 Awarded Goldwater Scholarship Marvelli’s funded research will focus on patterns of groundwater erosion.

By Emily Innes Stanley
April 10, 2026

Washington and Lee University junior Emma Marvelli ’27 has been awarded a highly competitive Goldwater Scholarship to support a research career in science, mathematics and engineering. At W&L, Marvelli is an earth and environmental geoscience major. Marvelli is from Barrington, Rhode Island, and graduated from Barrington High School.

The Goldwater Scholarship is one of the oldest and most prestigious science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) scholarships in the country and aims to support undergraduate sophomores and juniors who show promise of becoming research leaders in their respective fields and intend to pursue a doctorate. Universities can only submit four nominees’ applications, and each selected scholar is awarded $7,500 to support undergraduate research in their junior or senior year.

The Goldwater Scholarship has given Marvelli renewed confidence in her ability to pursue a doctorate and career in geoscience research, and it has motivated her to continue applying to other competitive opportunities, including a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

“Being named a Goldwater Scholar validates the effort that I put into my studies, research and my extracurricular endeavors,” Marvelli said.

Marvelli plans to pursue a Ph.D. in karst hydrogeochemistry (karst is a type of landscape where the underlying rock formations are partially eroded by water) and to teach at the university level. She has conducted extensive research while at W&L, including a project in collaboration with Karena Gill, visiting assistant professor of earth and environmental geoscience during the 2023-24 academic year, and Margaret Anne Hinkle, assistant professor of earth and environmental geoscience. Marvelli presented preliminary findings from the project, titled “A Comparative Geological Analysis of Meta-Basalt from Virginia and Pillow Basalt from Iceland: Implications for Carbon Capture and Storage,” at the Geological Society of America conference in September 2024.

On campus, Marvelli is a resident adviser (RA), and her time serving as an RA to first-year students has been her most impactful experience at W&L.

“Aiding in the growth of first-year students through programming and mentorship is very fulfilling for me, and I expect that the lessons I’ve learned from this position will be valuable for my future aspirations of being a geoscience professor and research geoscientist,” she said.

Marvelli is also the founder and president of W&L’s chapter of the Society of Sigma Gamma Epsilon and a member of the women’s track & field team. On the team, Marvelli competes in the hammer and weight throw field event, and she was named a Gold Award Girl Scout by the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England in 2024 for her project titled “Coach Robert Gourley Advocacy Campaign and Hammer Throwing Awareness,” which sought to bring attention to the hammer throw field event.

Marvelli appreciates the mentorship she has received from the faculty in W&L’s Department of Earth and Environmental Geoscience and is grateful to her friends, teammates, Residence Life colleagues and family for their constant support and encouragement of her endeavors both in and outside of the classroom.

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