April 6, 2021 SHARE Jackson Butler, a junior studying physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, a prestigious award that honors students who conduct research in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. Butler Butler is researching the magnetic material α-RuCl 3, a layered and insulating system widely thought to host an exotic form of matter called a “quantum spin liquid.” He ultimately would like to earn a PhD in condensed-matter physics and conduct research in the private sector. “Doing research in the private sector will allow me to not only continue to investigate many different types of physical phenomena but also to begin to apply it to real-world applications,” Butler wrote in his application. “Condensed matter physics has many potential applications such as quantum computing, super conductivity and many other applications that will greatly impact tomorrow’s technology.”