MEADVILLE, Pa. – April 17, 2009 – The Morris K. Udall Foundation has honored four Allegheny College students, which was the highest number of combined scholarship and honorable mention recipients from any single college.
Carlyn Johnson, a sophomore from Newburyport, Mass., who has a major in physics and a self-designed minor in sustainability, and Ali Trunzo, a sophomore from McMurray, Pa., who is majoring in environmental studies and minoring in biology, have been selected as 2009 Udall Scholars.
Brandon Goeller, a junior from Glenshaw, Pa., with a double major in biology and environmental science and a minor in German, and Sandra Wayman, a junior from Ontario, N.Y., who is majoring in environmental science and minoring in music, received honorable mention awards.
“The Udall Scholarship represents, more than anything, an investment in future environmental leaders,” said Allegheny College Environmental Science Professor Terrence Bensel. “These awards signify that Allegheny students are already tackling significant environmental challenges on campus and in their communities, and that they will play a prominent role in shaping a sustainable future for us all.”
A 14-member independent review committee selected this year’s group of scholars and honorable mention recipients on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, health care or tribal public policy; leadership potential; and academic achievement.
This year’s strong class of Udall Scholars was selected from among 515 candidates nominated by 233 colleges and universities. Each scholarship provides up to $5,000 for one year. Recipients of honorable mention awards will receive $350.
Allegheny ranks in the top 5 percent of schools whose graduates go on to earn Ph.D.s in all fields, in the top 4 percent in the science disciplines, and in the top 2 percent for producing chemistry Ph.D.s., according to data from the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Consortium Study of the Doctorate Records File for the decade 1995-2004.
On a percentage basis, Allegheny produces twice as many scientists as the top rated research universities. During the past decade, about 30 percent of Allegheny’s students have graduated with degrees in the sciences annually. The national average is 23 percent.
The Morris K. Udall Foundation is an independent federal agency that was created by Congress in 1992 to honor Congressman Udall’s legacy of public service. Congressman Udall served in the House of Representatives for three decades and was known for his work on the Alaska Lands Act of 1980, which doubled the size of the national park system and tripled our national wilderness, and for championing the rights of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. The Foundation’s education programs are supported by a trust fund in the U.S. Treasury and contributions from the private sector.
The 2009 Udall Scholars will assemble August 5-9, 2009, in Tucson, Ariz., to receive their awards and meet policymakers and community leaders in environmental fields, tribal health care, and governance.
