Contact: Ron Fisher, Honors College, (517) 355-2326; or Kristin K. Anderson, University Relations, (517) 353-8819, ander284@msu.edu
11/3/2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. � Vinayak Prasad of LaPorte, Ind., is a Michigan State University nominee for two prestigious international awards for graduate study in the United Kingdom � the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships.
Prasad, the son of Ram and Padma Prasad, is 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 & Letters. He is a 2001 graduate of LaPorte High School.
�I am honored to be an MSU nominee for the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships,� Prasad said. �Had it not been for the mentorship of my faculty, the guidance of the MSU Honors College and Lyman Briggs School, I never would have been in any place to even apply for the award. A greater honor than being nominated is the chance to represent Michigan State.�
If selected for the Rhodes or Marshall scholarships, Prasad would pursue a doctorate at Oxford University in England, where he would study the blending of science and philosophy with one of the foremost experts in the field of evolutionary biology.
�I decided to apply for the scholarships when I became deeply interested in the work of Richard Dawkins, a professor at Oxford. His work has affirmed many of my own ideas,� Prasad said.�The scholarships would be an opportunity to study this unique blend of philosophy and science. It would be an incredible intellectual experience that would shape the course of my life.�
The MSU Honors College student has had other life-changing experiences while in college that have helped advance his knowledge of the world, including volunteer work in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, providing food and supplies to families and working on family farms, and learning the hardships of their cities and countries first hand.
Additional off-campus educational opportunities include study abroad trips in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and a field study in marine and estuarine studies in the Chesapeake Bay area. He also has served as a researcher in MSU�s chemistry and geology departments, and researched through a National Science Foundation undergraduate fellowship.
His awards and honors include the Alumni Distinguished Scholarship, Jeffery and Kathryn Cole International Study Award, MSU Valedictorian Scholarship, National Merit Scholarship and the Robert C. Byrd Scholarship recipient in Indiana.
He is a member of Associated Students of MSU student government, an editor with The Red Cedar Review literary magazine, founder of the Math Club, member of Senior Class Council, and the recipient of the 2003-04 Emerging Leader of the Year award from the Department of Student Life.
�Being nominated for these scholarships by the MSU faculty recognizes Vinay for his tremendous accomplishments and academic abilities,� said Ron Fisher, director of the MSU Honors College. �The nomination also reflects the exceptional efforts of the student and faculty mentors in completing the application process.�
The Rhodes Scholarship, the oldest international scholarship and named in honor of Cecil Rhodes, covers two years of study at Oxford, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. Selection criteria include literary and scholastic achievements, 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.
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, and covers expenses related to tuition and feeds, travel expenses and costs of living. Individuals are selected on the basis of high levels of academic and personal achievements.
For more on the Marshall Scholarship program, visit the Web at www.britishcouncil.org