April 07, 2009
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Six Western Kentucky University students have been recognized in national federal 
commemorative scholarship competitions with one receiving a Goldwater Scholarship and two winning Udall Scholarships.
In addition, two students received honorable mentions in the Goldwater Scholarship competition and another student has been selected as a Truman Scholarship finalist. WKU had more students recognized for the federal commemorative scholarships than any other school, public or private in Kentucky, according to Amy Eckhardt, director of the Office of Scholar Development at WKU.
Dalton Hubble of Rineyville, a second year student in the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at WKU, received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for research conducted last summer. Hubble’s research, conducted as part of Massachusetts Institute of Technology summer research program, includes implications for improving the tailoring of specialized polymers for a variety of biomedical and tissue engineering applications.
Hubble is the fifth WKU student and the first in the Gatton Academy to receive a Goldwater Scholarship. They are awarded to outstanding undergraduates desiring a research career in math, natural sciences or engineering. Hubble plans to attend MIT after graduating from the academy.
Johnathan Brantley, a junior chemistry major from Salem, Ky., and Joseph Marquardt, a junior recombinant gene technology major from Memphis, Tenn., received honorable mentions.
“We are very excited that three or our students have received recognition from the Barry Goldwater Foundation again this year,” said Kevin Williams, associate professor of chemistry. “This is a strong testimony to the high quality of students we have been able to attract to WKU.”
William “Joey” Coe and Patrick C. Stewart are WKU’s first Udall Scholarship recipients.
Coe is a Louisville sophomore studying environment and sustainable development. He was a leader in WKU’s ONE Campaign that won the 2008 ONE Campus Challenge and spent the past summer in the rainforest villages of Costa Rica helping control erosion of rainforest trails.
Stewart is a Summer Shade, Ky., junior biology major who spent eight years running an organic farm powered by alternative energy in Metcalfe County. His goal is to help find and develop new technology for biologically based alternative energies.
Centre College is the only other Kentucky institution with a student receiving a Udall Scholarship and the two awards give WKU more Udall Scholarships than any public school in Kentucky in the past five years, Eckhardt said.
Teressa Rerras, a senior photojournalism major from Norfolk, Va., is a finalist in the Truman Scholarship competition. She was selected as a finalist out of an applicant pool of more than 500. Her selection as a finalist is based on the work that she has done to advance the status of women through The Learning Through Photography Foundation. She is one of 12 Overseas Press Club of America award recipients, the Zonta Club of Hampton Roads, Va., honoree for 2009, and just recently had her photos published in World Policy Journal.
WKU President Gary Ransdell said this kind of success in national scholarship competition is an indication of the emphasis WKU places on academic quality. “These are the kinds of accomplishments we intended to attain when we transitioned from an Honors Program to our Honors College,” he said.
About the Goldwater Scholarship
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation awarded 278 scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic year. Each scholarship provides up to $7,500 per year. The scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,097 students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The Goldwater Scholarship is designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. It is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
About the Udall Scholarship
The Morris K. Udall Foundation selected 80 students from 66 colleges and universities as Udall Scholars were chosen on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, health care or tribal public policy, leadership potential, and academic achievement. This 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.
About the Truman Scholarship
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship for Leadership and Public service provides up to $30,000 toward graduate school. Sixty scholarships were awarded from approximately 250 finalists. More than 600 students were nominated by 289 schools for this award.
More WKU news is available at http://www.wku.edu/news/index.html and at http://wkunews.wordpress.com/.
For more information, contact Amy Eckhardt, (270) 745-2081.
Photo Caption: WKU President Gary Ransdell congratulates Udall Scholarship winners Patrick Stewart and Joey Coe
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