Student Honors

Undergraduates received several prestigious awards last year. Here's a sample:

Rashida Z. Davis '00, a mathematics major from Fort Washington, Maryland, was one of 14 students nationwide who received a renewable $14,000 fellowship for doctoral studies from the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc.

About 500 students apply for the fellowships each year.

The consortium, which includes Fortune 500 companies, government laboratories, and universities, awards the fellowships to support underrepresented minority students interested in graduate study in the sciences.

Davis plans to pursue a Ph.D. in computer and information sciences at the University of Delaware.

Akash Desai '00, a political science major from Cortland, New York, was one of only three students nationwide chosen to receive the first Pamela Harriman Foreign Service Fellowship for 2000.

The award, named for the late U.S. ambassador to France and presented in conjunction with the U.S. State Department Summer Intern Program, is designed to encourage young people planning careers in public service and foreign affairs.

As part of the fellowship, Desai received $5,000 and completed a summer internship at the U.S. Embassy in London.

He plans to go into law and international relations.

Juliane Fry '00, a chemistry major from Midland, Michigan, was awarded both a National Science Foundation Fellowship and a Fulbright Grant. Fry, who plans to begin studying for a doctorate in physical chemistry at the California Institute of Technology in the fall of 2001, will use the Fulbright Grant to conduct research at the Fritz-Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin, Germany.

The NSF Fellowships, which carry a stipend of $16,200 for a 12-month tenure and $10,500 for tuition and fees, are awarded to students at or near the beginning of their graduate study in science, mathematics, or engineering.

The Fulbright Grant will cover Fry's living, travel, and tuition expenses at the Fritz-Haber Institute, where she will use ultrafast lasers to study the motion of atoms during photochemical reactions.

In 1999, almost 4,200 students applied and approximately 950 Fulbright awards were granted for study in more than 100 countries.

Amy Rushak '02, a chemistry major from Irondequoit, New York, received a Goldwater Scholarship to support her interest in pursuing a career in science.

Chosen on the basis of academic merit, 309 Goldwater Scholars were selected last spring from a pool of 1,176 sophomores and juniors nominated nationwide.

Ruschak, who will receive a grant of $7,500 a year for the next two years, plans to study for her doctorate in physical chemistry.

Chris Wallis '01, a religion and classics major from Hurleyville, New York, was selected to receive the Beinecke Brothers Memorial Scholarship for graduate education.

Established by the board of directors of the Sperry and Hutchinson Company, the scholarship is intended to encourage highly motivated students to take full advantage of graduate opportunities available to them. After completing undergraduate studies, each scholar receives $2,000 and a stipend of $15,000 for each of two years in graduate school.

Wallis plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Indian (subcontinent) religion at either Harvard University or Columbia University. He plans to conduct original research and complete his honors thesis during the 2000-01 academic year.

Robert Wittmann '00, a political science major from Las Vegas, Nevada, was awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for 2000.

The scholarships are awarded to college students who plan to attend graduate school in preparation for careers in government or elsewhere in public service.

One of 61 college students nationwide who received the award, Wittmann was selected from a pool of 599 candidates nominated by 311 colleges and universities.

Wittmann plans to spend a fifth year at the University as a Take Five Scholar. After graduating in 2001, he plans to attend law school.

Maintained by University Public Relations
Please send your comments and suggestions to:
Rochester Review.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]