Kristin Anderson, University Relations, (517) 355-2281 or ander284@msu.edu
11/7/2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Amy Silder, a senior at Michigan State University, is an MSU nominee for a prestigious Mitchell Scholarship to further her educational opportunities for study in the United Kingdom.
The George J. Mitchell Scholarships are established in honor of the former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell, who served as chairperson of the peace negotiations in Northern Ireland. He served in Congress for 14 years and was Senate majority leader from 1989 until he left the Senate in 1995.
The scholarship is intended to interest and involve the next generation of America's leaders in the U.S.-Ireland relationship. Approximately five scholarships will be awarded at the end of November.
Silder, the daughter of Michael and June Silder, is a 1999 graduate of Naperville North High School. She will graduate in the summer of 2003 from a joint biosystems engineering program in the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
"Being nominated by the MSU faculty for this distinguished scholarship is a distinct honor in at least two ways," said Ron Fisher, director of the MSU Honors College. "It recognizes students for their academic abilities and is a reward for the effort they expend in completing the application process. We wish Amy the best as she continues on in the scholarship competition."
Silder, a member of the MSU varsity women's crew team, said, "I was very excited when I learned I was a nominee for this award, and the more I think about it, the more excited I get. It would be a great opportunity to be able to study abroad and better my understanding of what others are thinking and how countries approach problems in a different way."
In her personal essay, Silder writes, "I will use my international experience and teamwork ability to unite nations' in creating and implementing better environmental economic policy. I can work with professors to make local connections within Ireland and Europe and make my educational experience as much in the classroom as in the community."
Silder said the environmental studies program at University College in Dublin would help her to understand and convey the importance of understanding the whole biological system, and the need for those making decisions on natural resources use to see "the big picture."
She says her MSU professors have been especially helpful and caring about her as a student and as a person.
"My professors care about me as a student and my future goals," Silder said. "They are very focused on students working together as a team, and because of this approach, I have had opportunities to work with a variety of individuals from different areas of the colleges. We have all had the chance to apply our different principles and ideas we've learned in the classroom to real job settings."
Silder is the recipient of a National Merit Special Scholarship, an Honors College Scholarship and the A. W. Farrall Agricultural Engineering Scholarship, among others. In 2001 and 2002 she was named to the Academic All-Big Ten list and in 2001 was named a National Scholar Athlete.
Silder has served as a student athlete tutor, a tutor in the ROSES (Residential Option for Science and Engineering Students) program and as a Student Athlete Advisory Council peer leader.
Her volunteer experiences include speaking to students age 7-17 on the importance of academics and introducing survivors of and women with breast cancer on the sport of rowing and overall enjoyment of athletics. She is a member of the MSU Honors College and Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society and the "I've Got Heart" program, helping youngsters learn the importance of volunteering. She served in an assistant research position in biosystems engineering and published a Web page emphasizing areas of research in odor and ground water management.