Beyond Normal — Alumni who are in the spotlight.

Robert Wagner '02

He was named one of the two top undergraduate physics students in the United States. He also won a Goldwater Scholarship, a federally endowed award recognizing his accomplishments in scientific research. Wagner -- a four-year veteran of Illinois State's Honors Program, a Presidential Scholar, and a member of USA Today's All-USA College Academic Second Team -- was attracted to Illinois State because of the quality of the physics program. Because the University doesn't have a graduate program in physics, Wagner says, "All the attention is given to undergraduates." He credits much of the success he has had at Illinois State to the individual attention he received from his professors. "I feel that I had more than just classes" at Illinois State, Wagner says. "At any university you can take classes and gain knowledge. But here I had extra experiences -- personal experiences with my professors in doing research and making presentations. I don't feel that I could get that somewhere else, especially if there was a graduate program [in physics], which would be the focus."

Wagner is at Princeton University and the Ivy League, where he started work in the fall of 2002 on a doctorate in physics.