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Graduates Awarded Fulbright, Churchill Scholarships

Two recent Arts and Sciences graduates have been awarded prestigious scholarships to conduct advanced research at Cambridge and Oxford Universities.

Katherine AllenKatherine Allen is one of eleven recipients of the Winston Churchill Foundation Scholarship, which offers American students in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics the opportunity to matriculate at Cambridge’s Churchill College. Allen will earn a master’s degree in earth science during her year in England.

As a geological sciences major, Allen became interested in paleoclimatology— the study of the history of climate change as revealed by geological formations. Working in the laboratory of associate professor Beverly Saylor, she examined sediment cores from Lake Erie and found evidence of a climate warming event that occurred about 2,900 years ago. Her discovery may help scientists predict how Lake Erie will respond to global warming in the 21st century.

Upon returning to the United States, Allen plans to earn a doctorate in paleoclimatology, and she envisions a scholarly career that will include engagement in developing environmental policy. During her undergraduate years, Allen says, she became passionate about improving the human relationship with the environment: “It seems to me one of the most important pursuits of our time.”

Raymond ChoiRaymond Choi, a chemistry major, is one of ten recipients of a Fulbright Scholarship for 2006-07. Selected from a field of 495 applicants, Choi will join a research institute at Oxford University devoted to the study and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA) is analyzing chemical markers that may assist in the early detection of Alzheimer’s. During his year at the institute, Choi expects to perform spectroscopic studies of these markers, applying techniques he learned in the lab of chemistry professor Michael Zagorski.

Choi was attracted to OPTIMA, in part, by its interdisciplinary approach. The institute pursues both clinical and basic science research, and it brings together scientists from such fields as pharmacology, neuropathology, radiology, and experimental psychology. For Choi, whose undergraduate experience included pathology research with School of Medicine professor Mark Smith, the OPTIMA lab will be a place where he can continue to “cross-apply disciplines like chemistry and pathology to effectively analyze a disease.”

The Fulbright program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is the nation’s largest international exchange program, enabling students, scholars, and professionals to engage in graduate study, advanced research, and teaching in institutions throughout the world. “One of the most distinctive things about the Fulbright,” Choi explains, “is the informal discussions and dinners with important scientists, political figures, and religious leaders. I will have the opportunity to discuss the most pressing issues in the UK and in the world with those who are intimately involved in the decision-making process.”