Contact: Ron Fisher, Honors College, (517) 355-2326; or Kristin K. Anderson, University Relations, (517) 353-8819, ander284@msu.edu
10/25/2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. � Seven Michigan State University students have been nominated for prestigious Rhodes, Marshall and Mitchell scholarships for study at institutions of higher learning in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
A committee of MSU faculty has nominated these highly accomplished and academically talented individuals � five undergraduates and two MSU graduates � for these distinguished awards, which provide opportunities to advance their knowledge at various top academic institutions in England and Ireland.
The nominees are:
Bhooma Aravamuthan of Kalamazoo, a senior majoring in biochemistry and physiology in the College of Natural Science, nominated for both the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships. She is a member of the MSU Honors College and is an MSU Goldwater Scholar. Aravamuthan has worked as a research assistant at MSU and various Kalamazoo health facilities.
The recipient of several scholarships, including the Ronald E. McNair Outstanding Natural Science Research Scholar award, she is active in Associated Students of MSU student government, MSU Science Theatre, Honors Students Actively Recruiting, Asian Pacific American Student Organization and in fund-raising efforts for St. Jude�s Children�s Hospital. She is the daughter of Raja and Lakshmi Aravamuthan.
Liisa Bergmann of Grosse Pointe Woods, a 2003 MSU graduate in interdisciplinary social science in the College of Social Science, currently taking pre-medicine coursework, nominated for the Rhodes scholarship. Her MSU honors included Phi Beta Kappa, Alumni Distinguished Scholarship recipient and being named the MSU College of Social Science Distinguished Senior.
The former MSU Honors College member is currently serving as a Brain Atlas aide in the MSU Department of Radiology and has served as a volunteer at Sparrow Hospital and emergency services volunteer with the Mid-Michigan Red Cross. She is the daughter of Dietrich and Phyllis Bergmann.
Justin Gengler of Montrose, a senior majoring in international relations and political theory in the James Madison College, nominated for the Marshall and Mitchell scholarships. He is a member of the MSU Honors College, Tower Guard and the James Madison College Student Senate. His awards and honors include Phi Beta Kappa, the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship finalist award, the Honors College Cole Excellence Award Scholarship, the James Madison College Dolley Madison Field Experience Scholarship, and the Burton L. and Rosalie P. Gerber Scholarship in James Madison College.
He interned in the Bureau of European Affairs and the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, both through the U.S. Department of State; Catholic Social Services/St. Vincent Home Inc.; and in education support services at MSU. He is the son of Dean and Marie Gengler.
Joanna Hecker-Silva of East Lansing, a 2004 graduate in art history in the College of Arts and Letters, nominated for the Marshall Scholarship. She currently is a provenance researcher for the Kresge Art Museum and has worked in the Visual Resource Library at the Kresge Art Center and at the MSU Museum. She is curator for an upcoming exhibit at the art center. She has served as an Italian language tutor, volunteer Portuguese translator for Catholic Refugee Services and was a student intern at the Creole Gallery.
Her MSU activities included the Outstanding Student Academic Achievement Award, the College of Arts and Letters Ralph Calder Scholar and the John W. Eadie Scholar, and MSU Board of Trustees Transfer Scholar. She is the daughter of Stanley and Dawn Hecker.
Ryan Judkins of Haslett, a senior majoring in English and ancient studies in the College of Arts and Letters, nominated for the Mitchell Scholarship. His MSU activities include copy editor of The State News, undergraduate representative to the College of Arts and Letters College Advisory Council, the MSU Fencing Club, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
A member of the Honors College, he has participated in a study abroad experience in France, interned with The Science Fiction Genre Evolution Project and served as assistant poetry editor of The Red Cedar Review undergraduate literary magazine. He is the son of Elizabeth and Mike Tillman of Holt and David Judkins of West Branch.
Colleen Kiernan of Joliet, Ill., a senior majoring in science technology studies in the Lyman Briggs School of Science in the College of Natural Science, nominated for the Rhodes Scholarship. She is a research assistant in the Lyman Briggs School of Science and has been a research assistant in the College of Human Medicine. She also has been a peer educator in the Ingham Country Health Department.
A member of the MSU Honors College, her volunteer experience includes working at a pediatric HIV research unit in the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in South Africa, independent volunteer work in Tanzania and the American Red Cross. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She is the daughter of Thomas and Jane Kiernan.
Vinay Prasad of LaPorte, Ind., a senior majoring in physiology in the Lyman Briggs School of Science in the College of Natural Science and philosophy in the College of Arts and Letters, nominated for the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships. He is a member of the MSU Honors College, Associated Students of MSU student government, recipient of the 2003-04 Emerging Leader of the Year Award recipient and has held editorial positions on The Red Cedar Review undergraduate literary magazine.
He has volunteer experience in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and has been a research assistant on several projects in the Lyman Briggs School of Science and the MSU Department of Geology. His scholarship awards include the Alumni Distinguished Scholarship, National Merit Scholarship, and the Jeffery and Kathryn Cole International Study Award. He is the son of Ram and Padma Prasad.
�Being nominated for these scholarships by the MSU faculty recognizes the students for their tremendous accomplishments and academic abilities,� said Ron Fisher, director of the MSU Honors College. �Their nomination also reflects the exceptional efforts of the students and faculty mentors in completing the scholarship applications.�
The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest of the international awards, brings outstanding students from around the world to Oxford University. Rhodes Scholars, named in honor of Cecil Rhodes, are selected for two years of study at Oxford, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. Selection criteria include literary and scholastic attainments, energy to use one�s talents to the fullest extent, service and civic mindedness, and leadership abilities in the promotion of international understanding and peace. Thirty-two scholars are selected each year.
For more on the Rhodes Scholarship program, visit the Web at www.rhodesscholar.org
The Marshall Scholarship allows up to 40 young Americans to study in the United Kingdom for two, and occasionally three years. The scholarship covers expenses related to tuition and fees, travel expenses and costs of living. Individuals are selected on the basis of high levels of academic and personal achievements. The scholarships were first established in 1953 by the British government to mark the implementation of the European Recovery Program, or Marshall Plan.
For more on the Marshall Scholarship program, visit the Web at www.britishcouncil-usa.org
The Mitchell Scholarship, named in honor of former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell�s contributions to the Northern Ireland peace process, provides tuition, housing, a living stipend and international travel for one year. It is administered by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance, a Washington-based, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to familiarizing and connecting the next generation of American leadership with the island of Ireland.
For more information on the Mitchell Scholarship program, visit the Web at www.us-irelandalliance.org