Six students win national awards

ix national scholarship awards have been awarded to students at the University, including three Goldwater Scholarships, a United Negro College Fund (UNCF)-Merck undergraduate research scholarship, a Fulbright Fellowship, and a National Institutes of Health Medical Scientist Training Predoctoral Fellowship.

For the second year in a row, three Rochester students have been named Goldwater Scholars: Gautam Altekar '04 of Plano, Texas, who is majoring in computer science and minoring in mathematics; Maximilian Popp '04 of Webster, who is majoring in molecular genetics and chemistry; and Sarah Zubairy '04 of College Station, Texas, who is majoring in mathematics and minoring in economics.

The Goldwater Scholarship, which is endowed by the U.S. Congress to honor the late Sen. Barry Goldwater, is designed to encourage outstanding students to pursue advanced degrees and careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

Kofi Mensah '04 was selected to receive a 2003 UNCF-Merck undergraduate research scholarship. A junior from New York City, Mensah is a microbiology major with a double minor in Spanish and in health and society.

As one of 15 UNCF-Merck Undergraduate Research Fellows in the nation for 2003, Mensah is entitled to a scholarship award up to $25,000, two paid summer internships at a Merck research facility, and professional mentoring by a Merck scientist. In addition, his major department is eligible to receive a grant of up to $10,000 to support research and student scholarships. The goal of the UNCF-Merck scholarship program is to increase the number of world-class minority scholars in scientific research fields. Mensah is the first University undergraduate to win this award.

Kathrine Schultz '03, an optics major and German minor from Webster, is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship. As a Fulbright Scholar, Schultz will travel to Friedrich-Schiller Universitaet in Jena, Germany, this summer, where she will conduct research in the field of optical metrology for a year. The grant, part of a program established by Congress to promote international understanding, covers tuition and fees and provides a stipend to cover living expenses.

Prabhjot Dhadialla '03 was awarded a National Institutes of Health Medical Scientist Training Predoctoral Fellowship. He is from Chalfort, Penn., and is majoring in both biological sciences and history. The NIH Medical Scientist Training Predoctoral Fellowship is awarded to support medical and graduate research training leading to both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. Dhadialla, who also was awarded a Goldwater Scholarship in 2002, plans to pursue a career as a physician and researcher.

In addition, six other University undergraduate students were named finalists or earned honorable mentions in other national award programs.

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