Rachel King, a student at West Virginia University (WVU), won a 2024 Goldwater Scholarship. A total of 438 scholars nationwide were selected for this undergraduate scholarship, which is for students in mathematics, engineering and the natural sciences. Each scholarship provides as much as $7,500 annually for up to two years of undergraduate study.

King, also a previous participant in a First2 Network program, spent the summer before her freshman year at WVU conducting astronomy research at the Green Bank Observatory in Pocahontas County. The experience helped the Manheim native lean into her childhood love of understanding what is beyond the Earth's atmosphere.

For the last three years, King has worked with mentor Maura McLaughlin, Eberly Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, on researching pulsars, a type of star. Most recently, the physics major has been exploring pulsar nulling, a phenomenon where the pulse energy - the radiation from the star that is detectable from Earth - suddenly drops to zero before returning to full energy.

As a WVU student, King has had the opportunity to present her research on campus and internationally, including at two meetings of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves. She also attended the summer 2023 International Pulsar Timing Array meeting in Australia.  

King plans to pursue a doctorate in physics or astrophysics with the goal of conducting astronomy research full time.

King graduated from Manheim Central High School in 2021.