BYU Recipients

A listing of BYU students who have received prestigious scholarships and fellowships.

Choose a scholarship:

Aamodt, Kristie
Barry M. Goldwater
2007-2008
Kristie is from Harrisonburg, VA and majored in Genetics and Biotechnology with minors in Chemistry and Molecular Biology. She began preparing to apply for the Goldwater scholarship her freshman year when she began expressing interest in the field and developing relationships with professors. By developing relationships with several professors, they were able to write good letters of recommendation which she says, "made the difference between receiving the scholarship or not." Kristie also won an ORCA grant and the AACR Thomas J. Bardos Science Education Award. Her honors project involved determining the relationship between tumor suppressor protein p53 and thymidine kinase 1 (TK1). During her time at BYU she presented her research at 3 research conferences and was a teaching assistant for several classes. In her spare time she likes to play the flute and give service to others.

Adamson, Kristi R.
Barry M. Goldwater
2003-2004
Kristi is from Vancouver, Washington, and she earned her Bachelor's degree in Physics. Dr. Turley told her about the Goldwater Scholarship, and she started preparing for it in September 2001. As an undergraduate, she volunteered as a tutor for the Jacobsen Service Center and was involved in many research projects here at BYU and at the University of Rochester. One of her favorite undergraduate experiences was presenting her research at the American Physical Society Four Corners Conference. In the future, Kristi plans to work in material science and/or molecular optics.

Adamson, Kristi R.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2006-2007
Kristi comes from Vancouver, Washington and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Physics from Harvard. Her internships and research in grad school built upon her research experience at BYU to help prepare her for the NSF scholarship. As an undergraduate, Kristi was president of the Society of Physics Students, student editor of physics alumni, and a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship recipient. She also received a physics teaching certificate. At Harvard she is a volunteer tutor and a member of the Radcliffe Choral Society.

Adamson, Marian
National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship Program
2008-2009
Marian Adamson hails from Charleston, SC. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from BYU in April 2007 with a BS in Physics and a minor in Mathematics. Marian believes that the best preparation for the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship was undergraduate research. At BYU, she worked in Dr. Turley's groups doing research on UV mirrors, and she worked in a lab at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI doing Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy. In conjunction with her research at WSU, she co-authored two peer-reviewed papers. She also presented research at the Association of Physics Teachers in Salt Lake City and at an undergraduate research conference at Argonne National Laboratory. Besides winning the NSF, Marian also won a University of Michigan Rackham Graduate Fellowship. Marian plans to get her PhD at the University of Michigan in Biomedical Engineering, and then start raising her family full time.

Allen, Matthew Scott
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2002-2003
Matthew is from Stockton, California. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering. His undergraduate research involved developing vibration absorbing carbon fiber composites at Patterned Fiber Composites. He pursued a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Anderson, Sterling J.
Barry M. Goldwater
2006-2007
Sterling comes from Declo, Idaho. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. He credits his preparation for the Goldwater Scholarship to several professors who helped him get involved with research. It is research that helped define his time at BYU. His best experience was presenting a paper at the 2005 International Conference for the Center for Friction Stir Processing. He also filled his time with recreational activities such as intramural sports, concert choir, and ballroom dance. Sterling is planning to earn a Ph.D. in Metallurgy/Materials Engineering; he would like to use this degree in research for industrial engineering.

Anderson, Sterling J.
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
2006-2007
Sterling comes from Declo, Idaho. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. He credits his preparation for the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship to several professors who helped him get involved with research. As an undergraduate research assistant, Sterling worked on various projects ranging from friction stir welding to compliant MEMS. This research largely defined his time at BYU. Sterling is married to the former Melanie Phelps and attributes much of his academic success to her support. In Fall 2007, he began his graduate studies in Mechanical Engineering at MIT.

Anderson, Sterling J.
Tau Beta Pi
2006-2007
Sterling comes from Declo, Idaho. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. It is research that helped define his experience at BYU. His best experience was presenting a paper at the 2005 International Conference for the Center for Friction Stir Processing. He also filled his time with recreational activities such as intramural sports, concert choir, and ballroom dance. Sterling also received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship.

Ashcraft, Ivan Stowell
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1999-2000
Ivan is from Sugar City, Idaho. He majored in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. As an undergraduate, he received an ORCA Research Grant and a Rocky Mountain Space Grant. He served in the Maryland Baltimore Mission, and is married to the former Stephanie Dricks. Ivan earned his Doctoral degree at BYU in Electrical Engineering.

Austin, Daniel Ephraim
Barry M. Goldwater
1997-1998
Daniel is from Aurora, Colorado, and he served in the Russia Moscow Mission. He graduated with University Honors in Chemistry with minors in Russian and Physics. Daniel was named the Outstanding Freshman Chemistry Student, a National Merit Scholar, and a BYU Trustees Scholar. He is married to the former Lisa Marie Burton. Daniel also received the National Science Foundation Fellowship for 1998-1999.

Austin, Daniel Ephraim
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1998-1999
Daniel is from Aurora, Colorado. He served in the Russia Moscow Mission and graduated with University Honors in Chemistry with minors in Russian and Physics in April of 1998. As an undergraduate, Daniel was named the Outstanding Freshman Chemistry Student, a National Merit Scholar, and a BYU Trustees Scholar. He pursued a Ph.D. at the California Institute of Technology. Daniel also received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for 1997-1998.

Austin, Mark David
Fulbright
1996-1997
Mark is from Idaho Falls, Idaho. He served his mission in the Germany Munich/Austria Mission. Mark received his Bachelor's degree in December of 1995 from BYU where he majored in Anthropology with a minor in Arabic. He used his Fulbright Scholarship to go to Morocco and study "health sector convergence and illness behavior in Marrakesh."

Bacon, Jeremie
Monbukagakusho
1998-1999
Jeremie is from Littleton, Colorado, and he served in the Japan Fukuoka Mission. He majored in International Studies with an emphasis in Global Economy. Jeremie also earned two minors, one in Japanese and one in Japanese Studies.

Badger, William
Kosciuzko Foundation
2002-2003
William is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, and he graduated Magna Cum Laude with University Honors in Philosophy. He first discovered his Polish ancestry on a pedigree chart, but his closest tie to Poland is his Polish wife and parents-in-law. William received an ORCA grant and assistance from the honors department, which allowed him to travel to Poland one summer to complete his honors thesis research on Polish Folk Art after the fall of communism. Although the Institute of Polish Studies offers language classes for beginners, William achieved conversation level Polish by the time he arrived at the Institute because he took Polish classes and conversed with his wife. William furthered his honors thesis research at the Institute. William planned to return to Jagiellonian University to pursue a Master's degree in Classics after graduating from BYU. In the future, William would like to continue studying philosophy and eventually become a professor.

Baldwin, Scott Allen
Phi Kappa Phi
2001-2002
Scott is from Bountiful, Utah, and he graduated with University Honors in Psychology from BYU in August 2001.

Barrowes, Benjamin
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1999-2000
Ben is from Salt Lake City, Utah, and he served in the Japan Tokyo North Mission. He graduated in Electrical Engineering with minors in Japanese and Mathematics. He is married to Masako Barrowes and enjoys soccer, woodworking, construction, and computer programming. Ben pursued a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bastian, Bruce
Fulbright
2009-2010
Bruce grew up in Idaho Falls, Idaho and found his life's calling while serving on a mission in Russia where he became fascinated with the economic development of the former U.S.S.R. countries. Bruce majored in Russian with a double minor in Economics and International Development. Bruce married a young woman from Tajikistan, and broadened his acquaintances with people from Central Asia. It seemed to be a natural extension of his interests to apply for and win a Fulbright to Tajikistan where he could conduct research to find better ways to help the poor through development projects and organizations. He plans to pursue a MBA in International Business and use his talents to learn how to more effectively help the poor in developing countries.

Beesley, Kenneth
Rhodes
1978
Kenneth received a BA in university studies at BYU, followed by a one-year graduate degree in linguistics and phonetics from the University of Glasgow, Scotland and a DPhil in cognitive science from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He now works as a computational linguist for Xerox Research Centre Europe in Grenoble, France.

Benson, Brett Valdo
Institute for Humane Studies
2000-2001
Brett served in the Taiwan Taipei Mission. He is from Logan, Utah and is married to the former Lacy Packer. Brett graduated in Philosophy and Chinese with University Honors from BYU in 1998, and he pursued a Ph.D. at Duke University. Brett also received the Humane Studies Fellowship for 2001-2002, 2002-2003, and 2003-2004.

Benson, Joseph P.
Fulbright
2002-2003
Joseph graduated with University Honors in Asian Studies with minors in Mathematics and Physics. He served his mission in Mongolia, and there he became interested in the Far East. Since his mission, Joseph has studied Chinese culture and language and traveled to China twice to conduct research for his honors thesis. With the help and guidance of Dr. Paul Hyer, he chose to use his Fulbright Scholarship to complete a research project in China. While he was in China, Joseph attended the Central University of Nationalities in Beijing and researched the cross-cultural communications between Mongolians and Chinese of Inner Mongolia.

Benton, Geoffrey M.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2005-2006
Geoffrey received his Bachelor's degree in Microbiology from BYU. He continued his studies in Molecular Biology at the University of California-San Francisco. He was also awarded the NSF: Honorable Mention for 2004-2005.

Bice, Amy A.
Harry S. Truman Scholarship
1997-1998
Amy majored in Political Science and graduated in August of 1997. She earned her Associate's degree in General Education with a Social Science emphasis from Ricks College in July of 1995. Amy chose to spend her time getting involved in activities related to her major with the hope that she would increase her understanding of the subject. She enjoys actively participating in the political world around her and has had the opportunity to work as a research and a teaching assistant, as a staff member in the Clinton/Gore campaign of 1996, and as a White House Intern in the Communications Department.

Bingham, Nathan C.
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
1999-2000
Nathan is from Brentwood, California. He graduated in History with a minor in Chemistry. As an undergraduate, he worked in Dr. David Busath's laboratory researching the permeation properties of the gramicidin transmembrance ion channel and working on several molecular modeling projects. Nathan served in the Canada Montreal Mission and as the president of the Cancer Awareness Group at BYU. He is married to Danielle Bingham and enjoys movies, walks with his wife, camping, and computers. Nathan pursued a graduate degree at Southwestern University Medical School.

Bishop, Brian D.
Fulbright
1998-1999
Brian is from Nampa, Idaho. He served in the Nebraska Omaha Mission, and he graduated in Linguistics with minors in Arabic and Language & Computers. With the Fulbright Scholarship, Brian went to Egypt to study Middle Eastern Languages and Literature.

Bitner, Steven R.
Fulbright
2001-2002
Steven is from Sandy, Utah. He graduated in International Politics with a minor in Arabic. He worked as a teaching assistant and a research assistant in both the Political Science and Near Eastern Languages Departments. He became increasingly interested in the Middle East during his summer internship at the Kuwait Information Office in Washington, D.C. He feels that his internship helped him to be more competitive for the Fulbright Scholarship. While in Kuwait, he researched the cultural impact of the internet and satellite television on Kuwait society. He is married to the former Katie Farnsworth and was planning on joining the Foreign Service when he returned from Kuwait.

Bodily, Jason Matthew
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2001-2002
Jason is from Central Point, Oregon. He graduated Summa Cum Laude and with University Honors in Molecular Biology with minors in Japanese and Philosophy. Jason also received his Master's Degree in Microbiology from BYU in December 2000. With the aid of the NSF fellowship, he studied Microbiology at Pennsylvania State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Bonta, Steven Christopher
Fulbright
2000-2001
Steven is from Pennsylvania, and he served in the Spain Barcelona Mission. He received his Master's degree in 1996 from BYU in Linguistics. Steven attended Cornell University for graduate school, and he used his Fulbright scholarship to research in Sri Lanka.

Borget, Jennifer
Ed Bradley
2007-2008
Jennifer is a Broadcast Journalism major from Atlanta, Georgia. Her job experience at Classical 89, KBYU-TV, BYU Daily News, and KCSG and her internship with WSB-TV Atlanta gave her the resume and reporting demo tapes that she used to win the scholarship. Jennifer also received the Bonneville International Arch L. Madsen Scholarship. She is actively involved in BYU's Black Student Union and the Multicultural Student Services. She volunteers with minority youth and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the Radio and Television News Directors Association.

Boyle, Scott Nile
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2002-2003
Scott is from Rexburg, Idaho. He graduated with University Honors in Biochemistry with a minor in Ancient Near Eastern Studies. He pursued a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University.

Brewer, Cindy P.
Fulbright
1997-1998
Cindy is from Provo, Utah. She served in the Austria Vienna Mission, and graduated in German with a minor in Hebrew in 1990. She received her Master's degree in German Literature in 1991. She used the Fulbright Scholarship for her research project in Germany, "Narratives in Relief: A Study of 18th Century German Women Novelists." She is married to Bruce Brewer.

Brewer, Kenneth
Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar
2007-2008
Kenneth I. Brewer is from Provo, Utah and is the oldest of six brothers. A graduate of Timpview High School, he attended BYU for two years (2005-2007) as a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar (2004-2007) and completed honors college courses through high school concurrent enrollment. At BYU he completed Math and Chemistry minors, lived on campus in the foreign language houses, and researched the creation of Resveratrol synthetic derivates with Dr. Merritt Andrus. As a graduating high school senior, he was one of 20 students across the nation named to USA Today's 2007 All-USA High School Academic Team. He has studied abroad in Germany, Mexico, France, and Costa Rica and is fluent in English, German, French, Spanish, and reads Latin. He has studied tropical medicine through Duke's TIP program in Costa Rica as well as linear algebra at the University of Vienna. Brewer participated in the Intel Science Talent Search and attended the Research Science Institute at MIT, where he received an award for the "Top 5 Research Paper and Presentation." He has also worked as an engineering intern at Omniture Inc, in Orem, Utah. He has been recognized as the top 2007 Micron scholarship awardee, a US Presidential Scholar, National Merit Scholar, National AP Scholar, Utah Sterling Scholar in foreign language, a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar, and as a Jack Kent Cooke College Scholar. In the community, he promoted diabetes awareness among underserved populations in Utah County. He was one of four US students selected to represent the United States at the 39th annual International Chemistry Olympiad program in Moscow, Russia where he received a silver medal. After completing coursework at BYU, Brewer is majoring in chemistry and Chinese at Harvard University. After graduating, he plans to pursue an MD/Ph.D. degree. Kenneth enjoys singing in several choir groups, downhill skiing, scuba diving and swimming.

Brewer, Kenneth
USA Today's 2007 All-USA High School Academic Team
2007-2008
Kenneth I. Brewer is from Provo, Utah and is the oldest of six brothers. A graduate of Timpview High School, he attended BYU for two years (2005-2007) as a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar (2004-2007) and completed honors college courses through high school concurrent enrollment. At BYU he completed math and chemistry minors, lived on campus in the foreign language houses, and researched the creation of Resveratrol synthetic derivates with Dr. Merritt Andrus. As a graduating high school senior, he was one of 20 students across the nation named to USA Today's 2007 All-USA High School Academic Team. He has studied abroad in Germany, Mexico, France, and Costa Rica and is fluent in English, German, French, Spanish, and reads Latin. He has studied tropical medicine through Duke's TIP program in Costa Rica as well as linear algebra at the University of Vienna. Brewer participated in the Intel Science Talent Search and attended the Research Science Institute at MIT, where he received an award for the "Top 5 Research Paper and Presentation." He has also worked as an engineering intern at Omniture Inc, in Orem, Utah. He has been recognized as the top 2007 Micron scholarship awardee, a US Presidential Scholar, National Merit Scholar, National AP Scholar, Utah Sterling Scholar in foreign language, a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar, and as a Jack Kent Cooke College Scholar. In the community, he promoted diabetes awareness among underserved populations in Utah County. He was one of four US students selected to represent the United States at the 39th annual International Chemistry Olympiad program in Moscow, Russia where he received a silver medal. After completing coursework at BYU, Brewer is majoring in chemistry and Chinese at Harvard University. After graduating, he plans to pursue an MD/Ph.D. degree. Kenneth enjoys singing in several choir groups, downhill skiing, scuba diving and swimming.

Brewer, Rhett Ty
Barry M. Goldwater
1996-1997
Rhett is from Las Vegas, Nevada and graduated in Chemical Engineering. He worked with Dr. William Hecker on coal combustion with a focus on char oxidation kinetics and the effect that burnout has on the remaining carbon structure and hence reactivity during the late stages of combustion. Rhett received the BYU Board of Trustees Scholarship and was an Eastman Scholar. He worked as an intern in Chemical Engineering for Eastman Chemical in Texas. Rhett also received the National Science Foundation Fellowship for 1997-1998.

Brewer, Rhett Ty
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1997-1998
Rhett is from Las Vegas, Nevada, and he graduated in Chemical Engineering. As an undergraduate, he worked with Dr. William Hecker on coal combustion with a focus on char oxidation kinetics and the effect that burnout has on the remaining carbon structure and hence reactivity during the late stages of combustion. Rhett received the BYU Board of Trustees Scholarship and was an Eastman Scholar. He worked as a Chemical Engineering intern for Eastman Chemical in Texas. Rhett also received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for 1996-1997.

Brimhall, Jeffrey Todd
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2000-2001
Jeffrey served a mission in the Brazil Curitiba Mission. He is from West Valley City, Utah, and he graduated with University Honors in Civil Engineering from BYU in April 2000.

Broadbent, Talmage
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
2003-2004
From Orem, Utah, Talmage graduated from BYU with a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and a minor in Management. He continued his studies at the University of Utah Medical School.

Broderick, Adam
Barry M. Goldwater
2006-2007
Adam graduated Magna Cum Laude in Chemical Engineering. He is from Danville, California and found out about the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship from a flyer on campus but had long been preparing with various research and internship experiences. He was able to participate in a summer research program at Rice University. Adam feels this will go a long way in helping him towards his goal of researching in a clinical hospital. He would like to work on the development of treatments for cardiovascular disorders. Adam spent his undergraduate time in a variety of activities, including Tau Beta Pi, running marathons and developing his talents. His best undergraduate experience was his ORCA grant. Adam has found that when he is "proactive with regards to looking for opportunities to get involved...things work out better than [he] could ever imagine!"

Broderick, Adam
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2008-2009
Adam is from the Danville, California and graduated from BYU with a BS in Chemical Engineering. He is currently pursuing a PhD in the same subject. While at BYU, Adam involved himself in research in multiple labs because it helped him get to know professors, and it helped him acquire a broad skill set as well as build an impressive resume. In addition, he also received funding for an ORCA grant to do independent undergraduate research. He considers this an important factor to his having received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Through his research efforts, Adam has been a co-author for two papers which have been published, a very significant accomplishment. Adam has contributed much to his field of study and will undoubtedly contribute more in the future.

Buffington, Matthew
Woodrow Wilson Foundation: Pickering (Graduate)
2005-2006
Matthew, from Dayton, Ohio, graduated in Communications: Public Relations with a minor in Political Science. He is the fourth of eight children, and his mother was able to raise all eight children after Matthew's father passed away when he was 10 years old. Matthew served a mission to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and was involved in BYU's Foreign Service Student Organization, the Public Relations Student Society of America, and BYU Bradley Public Relations Firm. Matthew also wrote for the Daily Universe culture page, beat-television, and film. He has traveled to Washington, D.C. for an FSSO leadership conference, worked as an intern with the Utah State Department, and taken first place at the 2004 PRSSA Crisis Communications Competition for the Mountain States. Matthew is married to Mariel C. Flores, and he enrolled in the M.P.A. program at George Washington University where he concentrated on International Development Management. After finishing his graduate studies, he entered the Foreign Service Training Institute to become a Foreign Service Officer.

Bundy, Bradley C.
Tau Beta Pi
2004-2005
Bradley received his Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Japanese.

Burr, Benjamin J.
Golden Key National Honor Society Research Travel Grant
2003-2004
Benjamin is from Orem, Utah. He earned both a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in American Studies. As an undergraduate double-major, he had an excessive amount of undergraduate credit hours and spent the majority of his time "reading, writing, and working with professors." Through his close association with an English professor, he was invited to present a paper he wrote on Jonathan Rosen's "The Talmud and the Internet" at the ALA Jewish American and Holocaust Literature Symposium. He is grateful for the research funding he received from the Golden Key National Honor Society, and he believes his attendance at the conference made him more competitive for graduate school. Benjamin was been invited to present the paper he wrote on Cormac McCarthy's novel "Blood Meridian." He published an article in Tabulae," the Humanities Department undergraduate publication, about the "modernist aesthetics" in Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," and his paper on the role of the Bible in the novels of Toni Morrison is currently being examined for publication.

Bush, Christopher F.
Fulbright
2003-2004
Christopher is from Portland, Oregon, and he graduated with University Honors in History and a minor in Russian Studies. He served in the Russia Moscow Mission, and his honors thesis is entitled, "Abandoning Hope: The Post-World War II Soviet Cattle Catastrophe." He went to Russia to conduct research for the duration of his scholarship.

Butler, Daniel Mark
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2003-2004
Daniel is from Roseville, Minnesota. He graduated with University Honors in Political Science with a minor in Chemistry and a significant amount of coursework in Economics. He feels that his economic background was very valuable to him as a research assistant for Ray Christensen and Sven Wilson. As a research assistant, his mentors treated him like a colleague and gave him encouragement and responsibility as a co-author for their final project. Daniel commented, "Unlike BYU, most institutions have graduate students who take all the jobs as research and teaching assistants. Because BYU does not have many graduate students, professors rely on undergraduates. It is a great opportunity for us--we should use it more than we do." He was also awarded a BYU ORCA Scholarship to fund his honors thesis research, "The Determinants of Religious Freedom." Daniel feels that he was competitive for the NSF Fellowship because of his interest in political science and his economic background. He is married to Deborah Shepherd Butler, and he pursued a Ph.D. in Political Science at Stanford University.

Campbell, David Edward
Phi Kappa Phi
1996-1997
David is from Canada, and he served in the Illinois Peoria Mission. He graduated with University Honors in Political Science with a minor in Psychology. David is married to Kirsten Kaye Campbell.

Casellas, Rafael Cristian
National Science Foundation: Minority Fellowship
1997-1998
Rafael is from Argentina, and he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Molecular Biology with an emphasis in Chemistry. Rafael served his mission in France, and his wife is from Finland. He is fluent in French, English, and Spanish, and has a basic knowledge of Finnish. As an undergraduate, he received a four-year scholarship from BYU and several other research awards including the Hypercube Scholar and a grant from the National Institutes of Health. For almost two years, he worked as a research assistant conducting chemical analyses for Dr. Mangelson using a Van der Graff accelerator by proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Rafael pursued his graduate studies at the Rockefeller University in New York, and he worked at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Laboratory of Molecular Immunology. Rafael was also named an Honorable Mention for the NSF Graduate Fellowship for 1997-1998.

Catanzaro, Bryan C.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2004-2005
Bryan is from all over the Western United States, but he went to high school in Yorba Linda, California. He double majored in Computer Engineering and Russian with a minor in Mathematics. He became an excellent NSF Fellowship candidate by obtaining a perfect score on the GRE, working as a research assistant in the Configurable Computing Lab on-campus, and interning during the summers for Intel researching exploratory circuit studies for future microprocessors. As an undergraduate, Bryan was on the College Bowl team, and he participated in University Band, University Chorale, and Men's Chorus. He loved his experience at BYU and rates his Honors History of Civilization class as the most life-changing. He commented, "The material and professors challenged me to become an honest, independent thinker, and seven years later, I still find myself thinking about the topics we discussed in that class. I also made many good friends there, including one who later became my wife." Bryan is passionate about classical music, especially symphonies (Shostakovich and Mahler), Russian literature and culture, the oboe, and Apple computers. He also loves his wife, Jena, and their son, Hyrum. Bryan earned his Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering at BYU in 2005 and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering elsewhere.

Chan, Heather
Barry M. Goldwater
2007-2008
Heather is a gifted violinist from Niskayuna, NY. She is double-majoring in Computer Science and Music Performance (violin emphasis) with a minor in Mathematics. Referring to her preparation for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Heather said, "I felt prepared because of my research experience doing an engineering internship at GE Global Research and also conducting undergraduate research in computer science at BYU." Heather plays the violin in the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. In the future, she plans to use her computer science background to work at a research facility that is oriented towards improving the safety and efficiency of today's technology. Another interesting tidbit about Heather is that she is very interested in martial arts. She earned her black belt in Tae Kwon Do when she was twelve!

Chao, Wendy
Barry M. Goldwater
1996-1997
Wendy is from Orem, Utah. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Microbiology with an emphasis in Molecular Biology and has researched the genetic characterization of bacterial DNA. She assisted Dr. Richard Robison of the Department of Microbiology by sequencing the genes responsible for drug resistance. Identifying these genes will help promote diagnosis and treatment of multi-drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis. Wendy was also a National Merit Scholar, and planned to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular genetics.

Charles, Steven Knight
Tau Beta Pi
2000-2001
Steven is from Provo, Utah. He served in the France Bordeaux Mission, and he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering. Steven planned to pursue a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also received the NSF fellowship and the Whitaker Scholarship for 2001-2002.

Charles, Steven Knight
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2001-2002
Steven is from Provo, Utah. He served in the France Bordeaux Mission, and he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering. Steven planned to pursue a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also received the Tau Beta Pi Scholarship for 2000-2001 and the Whitaker Scholarship for 2001-2002.

Charles, Steven Knight
Whitaker International Foundation Fellowship
2001-2002
Steven is from Provo, Utah. He served in the France Bordeaux Mission, and he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering. Steven planned to pursue a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. Steven has also received the Tau Beta Pi Scholarship for 2000-2001, and the National Science Foundation Fellowship for 2001-2002.

Cherry, Michael Steven
Tau Beta Pi
2002-2003
Michael, from San Jose, California, is working towards his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. He served his mission in Brazil and received his Bachelor's degree from BYU in Mechanical Engineering. While attending BYU, Michael had the opportunity to work with Dr. Larry Howell for two years in the Compliant Mechanisms Research (CMR) lab. Referring to the experience, he said, "I got involved in research fairly early on, and thoroughly enjoyed working with the design of mechanical systems that utilize flexibility and elasticity to derive their motion." As an undergraduate, he earned an internship at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California, received the Tau Beta Pi Undergraduate Scholarship, made the Dean's list several times, and was named an NSF Honorable Mention. After graduating from BYU, Michael received a Department Fellowship from the University of Michigan (UM). He chose to pursue a Ph.D. at UM because they have a Compliant Systems Design Laboratory (CSDL) that will allow him to continue his interest in compliant mechanism research. Under the direction of his advisor, Sridhar Kota, Michael intends to specialize in the design of compliant mechanisms with an emphasis on human augmentation. He commented, "Although it is more challenging to design a compliant system, it is more rewarding to me because of the things that can be accomplished...I believe that through the use of compliant systems, better designs can be achieved to enable people who are healthy to run faster and jump higher, and more importantly they can aid and possibly restore the motion of people who are disabled." Michael will be focusing solely on the lower extremities, primarily on the knee and ankle joints through the use of dynamic modeling and analysis of the material mechanics common to compliant mechanism design. Michael would like to eventually teach at the university level.

Cherry, Michael Steven
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2004-2005
Michael, from San Jose, California, is working towards his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. He served his mission in Brazil and received his Bachelor's degree from BYU in Mechanical Engineering. While attending BYU, Michael had the opportunity to work with Dr. Larry Howell for two years in the Compliant Mechanisms Research (CMR) lab. Referring to the experience, he said, "I got involved in research fairly early on, and thoroughly enjoyed working with the design of mechanical systems that utilize flexibility and elasticity to derive their motion." As an undergraduate, he earned an internship at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California, received the Tau Beta Pi Undergraduate Scholarship, made the Dean's list several times, and was named an NSF Honorable Mention. After graduating from BYU, Michael received a Department Fellowship from the University of Michigan (UM). He chose to pursue a Ph.D. at UM because they have a Compliant Systems Design Laboratory (CSDL) that will allow him to continue his interest in compliant mechanism research. Under the direction of his advisor, Sridhar Kota, Michael intends to specialize in the design of compliant mechanisms with an emphasis on human augmentation. He commented, "Although it is more challenging to design a compliant system, it is more rewarding to me because of the things that can be accomplished...I believe that through the use of compliant systems, better designs can be achieved to enable people who are healthy to run faster and jump higher, and more importantly they can aid and possibly restore the motion of people who are disabled." Michael will be focusing solely on the lower extremities, primarily on the knee and ankle joints through the use of dynamic modeling and analysis of the material mechanics common to compliant mechanism design. Michael would like to eventually teach at the university level.

Choi, Jacob
Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship
2006-2007
Jacob is originally from Provo, Utah. He graduated summa cum laude in International Studies with minors in Korean and Japanese. As a Rangel Fellow, he has interned at the House Foreign Affairs Committee and at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo where, inter alia, he was responsible for U.S.-Japan coordination in the Middle East, South and Central Asia. Jacob is a Master in Public Policy candidate at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He serves on the Harvard Graduate Council and as the co-editor-in-chief of the Korea Policy Review. In the summer of 2008, he will join the U.S. Department of State as a foreign-service officer.

Christensen, Clayton
Rhodes
1975
Clayton received a BA in economics at BYU, followed by an MPhil in economics from Oxford and an MBA from Harvard University. After stints with the Boston Consulting Group and with the Reagan administration as a White House fellow, he started a business, Ceramics Process Systems, with several MIT professors. He always wanted to teach, however, so in 1989 he enrolled at Harvard again. After receiving his DBA, Christensen joined the Harvard Business School faculty, a job he likens to "dying and going to heaven." His 1997 book Innovator's Dilemma was given the Global Business Book Award and prompted Forbes magazine to feature him on their January 1999 cover. He attributes much of his success to BYU, saying, "I think my years at BYU probably shaped my future more powerfully than anything else because they helped me order my values."

Christensen, Ryan Glen
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2002-2003
Ryan is from South Jordon, Utah, and he graduated in Philosophy with a minor in Physics. He pursued a Ph.D. in Philosophy at Stanford University.

Christiansen, Caroline Grace
Phi Eta Sigma
2005-2006
Caroline comes from Burley, Idaho. She graduated from BYU in Broadcast Journalism in 2006. In addition to being involved in various broadcasting organizations, Caroline interned for NBC's Today show and started "Talk It Up Provo." She heard about the Phi Eta Sigma Scholarship from the local chapter advisor, Howard Gray. She was prepared for this scholarship because of her involvement in BYU's Phi Eta Sigma chapter. She served as Vice-President, President, and Senior Advisor. Caroline plans to pursue a career in broadcast journalism and wants to make promoting good and living with integrity the focus of her work.

Comstock, David Carpenter
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
2004-2005
David graduated from BYU in Mechanical Engineering in August 1999. He used the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship to study Materials Science and Engineering.

Cooper, Joseph L.
Barry M. Goldwater
2004-2005
Joseph, from Orem, Utah, earned his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science with a minor in Psychology. He has spent three years on the Honors Student Advisory Council during which time he went to Chicago and participated in the National Collegiate Honors Conference. In addition to working as a research assistant for Dr. Sederberg, he also spent three years as a peer tutor in Math, Computer Science, and occasionally Economics. Joseph worked on his honors thesis research with Dr. Sederberg on finding more intelligent and graphical ways to merge family history databases. After talking with his younger brother about the high school computer science classes available to him, Joseph realized his brother did not have the same opportunities he had been given, so he contacted the principal of Orem High School and offered to teach a summer programming class to interested students. Joseph's proposal was accepted, and he taught a handful of students. He said, "I found that I really enjoyed teaching and had a wonderful experience." Joseph is currently pursuing a Master's degree and a Doctorate Degree in Computer Science at BYU. His focus is on Artificial Intelligence, and he wants to eventually become a university professor.

Couch, Robert Brinton
Institute for Humane Studies
2001-2002
Robert is from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and he served in the Russia Moscow Mission. He graduated in Russian and Honors Economics from BYU in 1997. Robert pursued a Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University.

Cox, Jordan
Fulbright
2008-2009
Jordan is from Pleasant View, UT. He double-majored in Physics and German studies which prepared him for the research he will conduct in Berlin. Jordan is especially for grateful for his undergraduate research since it led him to apply for the Fulbright. Jordan served as the president of the Golden Key Honor Society and has said that serving in that capacity was, "the most rewarding" secular activity he has participated in during his time at BYU. After researching in Germany, Jordan plans on studying law. In addition to his scholastic pursuits, Jordan's intramural basketball team is also currently in the quarter finals. But, on the court or in the lab, Jordan will be sure to have slam-dunk success in all he hopes to accomplish.

Crane, Nathan Brad
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1998-1999
Nathan is from Richmond, Texas. He served in the California Santa Rosa Mission and graduated with a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from BYU. He feels that "the key to success is hard work and taking advantage of opportunities to do research." Nathan was a National Merit Scholar and worked as a research assistant in the Engineering Computer Graphic's Laboratory at BYU. In the lab, he helped develop graphical pre- and post-processors for FEA analysis codes.

Cutler, Jenny
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2001-2002
Jenny is from Bountiful, Utah. She received her Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2001.

Davis, Zachary
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
2009-2010
Zachary Davis is from St. George, Utah and is double-majoring in International Relations and Humanities. Zach has been involved in extensive undergraduate research, receiving an ORCA grant to research the Impact of Illegal Immigrant Status on Social Discrimination. He is graduating with University Honors, his Honors Thesis is titled "Why is Singapore Not Zimbabwe?:Explaining the Variation of Public Goods Provision of Autocracies. Zach has participated in international internships in Bolivia & India, and had his article "Indian Christians and the Nationalist Movement" published. His best undergraduate experience has been starting and editing the BYU Political Review. Zach hopes to get a JD/PhD in Political Science and eventually consult foreign governments on institutional reform.

Dowler, Daniel A.
Fulbright
2007-2008
Daniel grew up in Gila, New Mexico. He majored in International Relations and minored in Mathematics. He first heard about the Fulbright grant his sophomore year, but the idea didn't appeal to him until he heard about it again while interning in Washington, D.C. for the US Senate, Joint Economic Committee. Daniel believes that this internship, which he participated in through the BYU Washington Seminar program, gave him invaluable experience and confidence. He also said, "It induced a craving for additional exciting opportunities." As an undergraduate, Daniel was awarded the Mary Lou Fulton Internship Grant, volunteered with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, was involved in the BYU Foreign Service Student Organization (FSSO), tutored Korean students in English, and played on several intramural sports teams. After completing his Fulbright grant in South Korea studying South Korean policy decisions regarding relations with North Korea and stability on the Korean Peninsula, he will pursue a PhD in economics with emphasis in political economy and economic development.

Draper, David Willis
Tau Beta Pi
2000-2001
David is from Oregon, and he served in the Russia Novosibirsk Mission. As an undergraduate student, he performed research with scatterometers in the microwave earth remote sensing lab under Dr. David Long. His research has allowed him to develop "an advanced quality assurance algorithm for...specialized earth remote-sensing radars launched by NASA. He graduated in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics in 2000 and earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from BYU in 2003.

Duerden, David
National Security Education Program: David L. Boren
2005-2006
David Duerden is from Rexburg, Idaho. He majored in International Studies with an emphasis in Modern Near East and a minor in Arabic. He best prepared for this scholarship by having a good academic record and being involved with various study abroad programs and internships as well as related clubs and organizations. David is currently attending the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies where he is pursuing an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy.

Duke, Jared
National Defense Science and Engineering
2008-2009

Edmondson, Andrew Charles
National Institutes of Health: Graduate Partnerships Program
2004-2005
Andy, from Pocatello, Idaho, graduated in Microbiology and Russian with minors in Molecular Biology and Chemistry from BYU. He used the award to fund his study at the University of Pennsylvania.

Edwards, David Allan
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
2001-2002
David is from Canada, and he served his mission in the Korea Daejeon Mission. He graduated with University Honors in Zoology from BYU in August 2001. David attended graduate school at John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Eldredge, Susan
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1999-2000
Susan is from Wheat Ridge, Colorado. She is the seventh of ten children, and she graduated with University Honors in Botany. For her honors thesis, "The Role of Transgenic Research in Understanding Zein Proteins," she studied protein formation on maize during a field study on native plants in Guatemala. She enjoys spending time with her family, singing, traveling, and going on adventures. Susan attended the University of Minnesota for graduate study in Plant Biotechnology.

Engel, Joshua
Tau Beta Pi
2006-2007
Joshua is an Electrical Engineering major from Denver, Colorado. His time at BYU has been heavily concentrated on his engineering studies. He has participated in Tau Beta Pi, Etta Kappa Nu, and IEEE, all engineering or electrical engineering societies. Joshua is working as a research assistant in the BYU configurable computing lab. His current project is "space radiation environment effects on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)." After graduating from BYU, Josh plans to pursue a Master's degree in either engineering or receive an MBA. In addition to his engineering work, Josh participated in BYU's French Club, preserving his language skills after a mission in Toulouse. He is also a fan and student of International- and American-style Ballroom dance.

Enyeart, Peter
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2009-2010
Peter is from Idaho Falls, Idaho. While at BYU, he studied Biochemistry with minors in Japanese and Music.

Ericksen, Daniel Southwick
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2001-2002
Daniel is from Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Chemical Engineering. The NSF fellowship supported his graduate studies in Bioengineering at the University of California-San Diego.

Ericksen, Todd Daniel
National Security Education Program: David L. Boren
2002-2003
Todd, a native of Tempe, Arizona, earned his Bachelor's degree in Psychology. He served in the South Africa Cape Town Mission and the National Security Education Program (NSEP) provided him with the opportunity to return to South Africa to do research. He and his wife are currently very busy with their daughter.

Fearnley, David Lawrence
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1996-1997
David is from Provo, Utah, and he completed his Master's degree in 1996 in Mathematics. As an undergraduate, David graduated Summa Cum Laude also in Mathematics. David has also been named a Trustees Scholar and has received numerous awards from state-wide math competitions. He was accepted into the Ph.D. program at Oxford University where he furthered his research on monotone normality and metrizability with Professor P. J. Collins.

Felsted, Amy
Tylenol
2008-2009
Amy Felsted is a Biochemistry major from Lake Jackson, Texas. Amy believes that her stellar academic record and passion for medicine were extremely helpful when applying for the Tylenol Scholarship. Amy is the recipient of numerous scholarships including the Lion Club Texas Outstanding Youth Scholarship and the Rotary Club International Scholarship. Amy's best undergraduate experiences were taking Human Anatomy and being a TA for Chemistry 111. She hopes to begin medical school in the fall of 2011 at Baylor Medical School and eventually finish a residency in pediatric surgery at Texas Children's Hospital. Meanwhile she looks forward to finishing her degree at BYU and hopefully learning to find her way around the MARB.

Fennimore, Adam
Barry M. Goldwater
1997-1998
Adam is from Manhattan, New York. He graduated with University Honors in Physics with a minor in Mathematics. He served in the Spain Madrid Mission.

Fielding, Jeremy Alan
Institute for Humane Studies
2000-2001
Jeremy is from Walla Walla, Washington, and he served in the Kenya Nairobi Mission. He graduated from BYU in Political Science. He graduated from Harvard University's law school in 2003. Jeremy also received the Institute for Humane Studies Fellowship for 2001-2002.

Fillmore, Parley Dehlin
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
1998-1999
Parley is from Sandy, Utah, and he served in the Japan Fukuoka Mission. He graduated from BYU in Psychology with minors in Zoology and Chemistry. Parley attended Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Fischer, Angela
Phi Kappa Phi
2008-2009
Angela Fischer is a stellar student from Orem, Utah. After receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Public Communications from BYU, she will use her Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship to pursue a master's degree in public communications with an international emphasis at Boston University. She then plans to work to gain experience in that field and then further her education by pursuing a PhD to teach at the university level. Angela is well prepared for her goals in life. Up to this point, she has completed 14 different internships providing her with the experience necessary to excel. Angela has a passion for what she is pursuing and will undoubtedly fulfill her dreams and better the world around her.

Fleshman, Ranleigh L.
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
1998-1999
Ranleigh received his Bachelor's degree in Botany from BYU in 1997. He is from Alabama, and he served in the Utah Provo Mission.

Flint, John Harris
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
2000-2001
John is from Newark, Delaware, and he served in the Brazil Sao Paulo East Mission. He graduated in Zoology with a minor in Chemistry from BYU in 1999. John attended medical school at the University of Virginia Health System.

Florence, Leah Dawn
Fulbright
2000-2001
Leah is from Camarillo, California. She served a mission to the Russia Novosibirsk Mission. Leah graduated in both Vocal Performance and Russian. The scholarship allowed her to do research in Russia.

Floyd, Robert David Hunter
Institute for Humane Studies
2000-2001
Robert is from Michigan. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with University Honors in both Political Science and German with a minor in Classical Studies. Robert served a mission to the Germany Duesseldorf Mission.

Fox, Benjamin Davis
Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Medical Student Fellowship
2002-2003
Benjamin is from San Diego, California, and he served in the Venezuela Caracas Mission. As an undergraduate student, he received an ORCA grant to fund his research on prenatal health education in Guerrero, Mexico. Benjamin graduated Cum Laude in April 2000 in Classical Studies. After graduating, he was accepted to Baylor College of Medicine's 5-year medical student research track. While studying at Baylor, Benjamin received various awards including the Eppright Award for student research by the Department of Orthopedic Surgery for his work in the Spine Lab, First Prize in the annual History of Medicine Contest for his essay entitled, "Resurrecting Aristotle in Modern Medical Education," and he was named an American Academy of Achievement Honor's student. As a recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Medical Student Fellowship, Benjamin worked in the lab of Stephen Davies, Ph.D., investigating cells and associated molecules that are connected with scarring in the central nervous system (spinal cord). He hopes that a better understanding of the barriers to axonal regeneration will yield better treatment. Benjamin is pursuing a career in academic neurosurgery; after which, he plans to combine his passion to serve others with his desire to conduct research.

Frandsen, Brigham
National Science Foundation
2008-2009
Brigham Frandsen comes from La Canada, California. He graduated with honors, double majoring in economics and physics, from Brigham Young University in 2004, and since then has been busy with his life pursuits. Brigham is currently studying at MIT, working to obtain a PhD in Economics, with plans to teach and research when he finishes. Looking back to what has prepared him for his success, Brigham attributes much to his BYU experience. Brigham recalls memories of his undergraduate research on Econometrics, the creation and completion of his Honors Thesis, "Free Electron Acceleration By a Laser: Exploration of Evanescent Waves," and other articles he and some of his professors compiled. All of these events, Brigham says, assisted in preparing him for what he is accomplishing today. He and his wife Christine are the proud parents of two children, with a third excitingly anticipated early in 2009.

Franklin, IV, Robert Kyle
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2004-2005
Robert graduated in Electrical Engineering. He is from Houston, Texas, and believes his undergraduate research experiences and senior technical writing course best prepared him for the NSF application process. While attending BYU, he was involved in Swing Kids, the Folk Dance Team, Ballroom Dance, Tau Beta Pi, and he received a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant for 2001-2002. Robert worked with Dr. Robert Burton on a project entitled, "Interactive, three-dimensional web presentation of object-oriented Java concepts." The project included developing a training module that taught concepts using web-based, interactive, three-dimensional models to undergraduate Computer Science students. Robert chose this project because he wanted to help other students and was interested in applying the skills he had recently acquired in his Computer Graphics course. At BYU, he also worked as a research assistant in the Electrical Engineering Department's Reconfigurable Computing Lab. But, the highlight of his undergraduate experience was building a soccer robot for his senior design project. Robert is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Publications include: W. H. Johnson, R. K. Franklin, R. W. Beard, J. K. Archibald. "Effective ball handling and control in robot soccer." Proceedings of the 38th Annual International Telemetring Conference, (San Diego, CA) Oct. 2002, 21-24. R. K. Franklin, R. P. Burton. "Interactive, three-dimensional web presentation of object-oriented Java concepts." 2001-2002 Undergraduate Research Journal, Brigham Young University Press, (Provo, UT) 2002, 125-126. B. L. Hutchings, R. K. Franklin, D. Carver. "Assisting network intrusion detection with reconfigurable hardware." Proceedings of the 10th Annual IEEE Symposium on Field-Programmable Custom Computing Machines, (Napa, CA) April 2002, pp. 111-20, 22-24.

Fredin, Nathaniel Jon
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2004-2005
Nathaniel is from New Lenox, Illinois, and he graduated in Chemical Engineering. As an undergraduate, he worked on-campus as a hazardous waste technician for Chemicals Management and participated in an NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at Northwestern University the summer of his junior year. The research experience he gained in the REU program allowed him to get a paper published in Physical Review Letters. In summer 2004, Nathaniel volunteered as a Math Teacher at an LDS high school in Western Samoa while his wife, Carrie, completed her student teaching at an elementary school there. Nathaniel stated that it was a wonderful experience. He will be furthering his education in Polymer Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Frisch, Ryon Kevin
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1997-1998
Ryon is from Bonita, California, and he served in the New Mexico Albuquerque Mission. He graduated in Chemical Engineering in April 1997. His main objective at BYU was to "contribute to the growing field of biomedical engineering by applying [his] innovative ideas to developing products that will solve medical problems." As an undergraduate, Ryon also received the BYU Trustees Scholarship. His academic career has been exemplary and has included several research opportunities. He attended Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to pursue a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. In the future, he plans to work in an industry laboratory for a biotech company and eventually work as the head of the research and technology transfer division. Ryon is married to Jeanette, and they have one daughter.

Frost, Adam Scott
Barry M. Goldwater
1999-2000
Adam served a mission in the Washington Spokane Mission. He is from Provo, and he graduated from BYU in Biochemistry. Adam enrolled in the MD/PhD program at Yale University School of Medicine. Adam also received the National Institutes of Health-Medical Scientist Training Program award for 2000-2001.

Frost, Adam Scott
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
2001-2002
Adam served a mission in the Washington Spokane Mission. He is from Provo, and he graduated from BYU in Biochemistry. Adam enrolled in the MD/PhD program at Yale University School of Medicine. Adam also received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship in 1999-2000.

Fugal, Jacob Peter
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2003-2004
Jacob is from Pleasant Grove, Utah. He transferred to BYU from Ricks College, and he graduated with University Honors in Physics with a minor in Mathematics. As an undergraduate, he was awarded a BYU ORCA Scholarship to fund his honors thesis: "The Feasibility of the Astronomical Society of a Galaxy Infrared Slitless Prism Survey," published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Jacob feels that his experiences with BYU's honors department, physics department, and the ORCA Scholarship have been invaluable. In addition to his research experience, he also enjoyed doing physics demonstrations with the Society of Physics Students Outreach Program for elementary schools in the area and some home school groups. He was able to do various activities like making frozen homemade ice cream with liquid nitrogen. Jacob also worked on-campus as an American Sign Language interpreter, and he helped develop online physics courses with the Center for Instructional Design. He pursued a graduate degree in Physics with an emphasis on atmospheric physics at Michigan Tech University. In the future, he would like to be a professor or a research scientist at a university or an atmospheric research lab. While Jacob enjoyed his academic experiences at BYU, he felt his best undergraduate experience was finding and marrying his wife Jenifer Yule. Together they enjoy raising their two children. Jacob's hobbies are organizing family parties, composing for the piano, American Sign Language, running, cycling, and bad puns.

Fuller, Jeffrey John
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
1997-1998
Jeffrey is from San Dimas, California. He served in the Brazil Sao Paulo East Mission. He graduated in August 1997 with University Honors in Honors Zoology with a minor in Chemistry.

Gaitan, Santino Carl
Institute for Humane Studies
1997-1998
Santino graduated with University Honors in Psychology and Spanish. He is from Jackson, Missouri, and he attended graduate school at the University of California-San Diego. He served in the Costa Rica San Jose Mission. Santino also received the National Science Foundation: Minority Fellowship 1998-1999.

Gaitan, Santino Carl
National Science Foundation: Minority Fellowship
1998-1999
Santino graduated with University Honors in Psychology and Spanish. He is from Jackson, Missouri, and he attended graduate school at the University of California-San Diego. He served in the Costa Rica San Jose Mission. Santino also received the Institute for Humane Studies Fellowship for 1997-1998.

Gale, Bruce Kent
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1996-1997
Bruce graduated from BYU Summa Cum Laude in August 1995 with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. At BYU, Bruce was an Ezra Taft Benson Scholar, a National Merit Scholar, and a Whitaker Foundation Fellow. As a Whitaker Foundation Fellow, Bruce was able to work on his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Utah. His research involved micro-machining, a recently developed chemical separation system that uses a technique called electrical field flow fractionation. The system was constructed by using techniques that are similar to those used in computer chip manufacturing. The chemical separation system will be used to measure the surface charge of molecules and particles, especially biomolecules. Bruce hopes that research in this area will provide the impetus for new drug delivery techniques and a better understanding of cell membranes.

Gammon, David Eugene
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2000-2001
David graduated in Conservation Biology with minors in Music and Mathematics from BYU in 1999. He is from Provo, and he served in the South Dakota Rapid City Mission.

Georgi, Sean A.
National Science Foundation
2007-2008
Sean graduated from BYU with a degree in Neuroscience and minors in French and Molecular Biology. He is from Orem, Utah and has been preparing for the NSF since he returned home from his mission and started his sophomore year at BYU. He attributes his success in winning the NSF grant to his broad academic training, research experience and community service and involvement. Sean also received an ORCA grant for a project he was working on with Dr. Sudweeks and published two articles on his research. He is currently a Neurobiology and Behavior graduate student at the University of Washington with a particular interest in developmental and regenerative neurobiology. After completing his PhD, he hopes to enter academia and maybe even come back and teach at BYU.

Gibson, Matthew D.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2005-2006
Matt, from Goshen, Indiana, majored in Biophysics. As an undergraduate student, he participated in honors courses, tutoring, Red Cross club, and Golden Key. Matt also worked with Dr. Sterling Sudweeks (Physiology and Developmental Biology) conducting research that deals with Alzheimer's disease patients. Protein (beta amyloid) plaques occur in certain parts of Alzheimer's patients' brains including the hippocampus. Matt is researching how beta amyloid affects a group of ion channels expressed in neurons in the hippocampus. His undergraduate research helped him gain the NSF Graduate Fellowship, and it reaffirmed his decision to go to graduate school. Matt explains, "It also helped me apply the things I learned in the classroom, learn in ways that aren't possible in the classroom, develop good relationships with faculty members, and it opened doors to other opportunities such as a summer internship and an ORCA Grant." Matt's research experience, internship at the University of Utah with Dr. Rick Rabbitt, extra courses in Mathematics and Engineering, and discussions with other people have also helped prepare him to pursue a doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering even though BYU does not have a Biomedical Engineering major. Additionally, Matt presented his research at two Society of Neuroscience conferences. Matt began the Ph.D. program in Biomedical Engineering with an emphasis in Neuroengineering at the University of Michigan in fall 2006. After he receives his doctoral degree, Matt states, "I am not sure whether I will enter into academia or an industrial setting, but in either case, my goal will be to find effective solutions to relevant medical problems that people face." Matt enjoys outdoors activities, athletics, and the performing arts with his wife, Kirsten, and daughter, Eden.

Gilchrist, James
Fulbright
2005-2006
From Denver, Colorado, Jim graduated in Middle Eastern Studies/Arabic. He heard about the Fulbright Program through an Honors professor. He feels that his best undergraduate experiences were a study abroad in Syria and a research project about Muslims in Las Vegas; both prepared him for applying for the Fulbright. Jim was involved in BYU's Tae Kwon Doe Club, Arabic Club, and Folk Dance Ensemble, as well as many group projects. After his Fulbright, Jim planned on attending medical school.

Goff, Eleisha
Tylenol Scholarship
2007-2008
Eleisha, a Nursing major from San Diego, California, learned about the Tylenol Scholarship from her mother. She has been a volunteer at the MTC, a FOL participant and volunteer at the Hospital, and a member of BYUSA. Some of her favorite activities include backpacking, surfing and running. A goal of hers is to qualify to run the Boston Marathon at some point in her life.

Gong, Gerrit
Rhodes
1977
According to Gerrit W. Gong, his studies at BYU and Oxford expanded his vision of the world, preparing him for later work in international politics. "One very good educational pattern is the broad education of an undergraduate American degree with the very focused Oxford graduate degree," he says. Gong received a BA in Asian studies and university studies from BYU, followed by an MPHIl and a DPhil from Oxford. In 1981 he joined the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. From 1985-1989 Gong worked for the State Department, serving as a special assistant to an undersecretary and fulfilling international assignments to China and Taiwan. He then resumed working with CSIS, where he is the Freeman Chair and director of Asian studies.

Goodman, Paul Dayton
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2000-2001
Paul is from South Jordan, Utah, and he served in the Russia Rostov-Na-Donu Mission. Paul graduated in Chemical Engineering from BYU in 1999. Paul also received the Whitaker Fellowship for 2000-2001.

Goodman, Paul Dayton
Whitaker International Foundation Fellowship
2000-2001
Paul is from South Jordan, Utah, and he served in the Russia Rostov-Na-Donu Mission. Paul graduated in Chemical Engineering from BYU in 1999. Paul also received a National Science Foundation Fellowship for 2000-2001.

Gordon-Smith, George Michael
Institue for Humane Studies
2002-2003
George earned his Bachelor's degree in English in 2006 and is now pursuing his Master's degree at BYU. He is from Canada, and he served in the Spain Bilbao Mission.

Gorgueiro, Veronica
National Association of School Psychologists Minority Scholarship
2006-2007
Veronica is from Carlsbad, California. She graduated from UCLA in Psychology. She is currently at BYU to participate in the School Psychology Ed.S. program. Between UCLA and BYU, Veronica served a mission in the Dominican Republic and worked as a Case Manager for the Teen Choices program in San Diego, California. Veronica worked as a research assistant at UCLA and is currently working on a project with Dr. Ellie Young. It is a study on the "social validity of the Peaceable Schools Positive Behavioral Support Model in secondary schools."

Gray, Michael
Fulbright
2006-2007
Michael is from Phoenix, Arizona. He is a MESA (Middle East Studies/Arabic) major with a Political Science minor. Michael first heard about the Fulbright Grant as a sophomore when he started looking at scholarship opportunities. His diverse activities and research, including membership in many clubs and a study abroad in Egypt, have been essential in preparing him for the Fulbright application. Michael completed his capstone paper on Technology in the Middle East and hopes to use his research skills in his future career as a Middle East analyst. His greatest undergraduate experiences were peer tutoring another MESA major and celebrating graduation with his wife and two daughters.

Green, Alexia
Fulbright
2004-2005
Lexi has moved around a lot, but mostly claims she is from Woodland Hills, Utah and Salem, Utah. She majored in Middle Eastern Studies/Arabic and was Hinckley Hall Vice-President (2000-2001), Secretary of HELP (2001-2003), an organization to teach English to non-English speakers in the Provo community, and Arabic Club Secretary (2003-2004). Additionally, she was involved in Model Arab League (2001) and was later named best delegate (2003). She was also a member of the Arabic Club (2000-2004) and participated in Model Arab Court of Justice at Arab League Nationals (2004). She was a Museum of Art docent for the Khalili exhibit (Fall 2002) and worked as a reference assistant at the Humanities Reference desk in the Harold B. Lee Library. Furthermore, Lexi was a research assistant for Dr. Donna Lee Bowen and Dr. Mark Grover and a teaching assistant for "Political Systems of the Middle East." Under the direction of her mentor, Dr. Bowen, Lexi received a BYU Mentoring Grant that allowed her to spend four months conducting field research in Morocco. She interviewed fifty Moroccan Youth about how they form relationships and how cellular phones may be changing the way they interact with members of the opposite sex. She said, "My research yielded fascinating results showing that due to the personal nature of cellular phones they are able to make and maintain relationships without their parents' consent or even knowledge, thus having a significant impact on social patterns." Her senior thesis project was on "Leila Khaled, the female hijacker from the seventies and how she was more effective in her armed struggle than her male counter-parts due to the fact that she was a woman." Lexi used her ORCA project as a base for her Fulbright project in Jordan.

Green, Bruce McRae
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1996-1997
Bruce graduated in June 1996 with a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu, and received a BYU Academic Scholarship and a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant for 1995-1996. As an undergraduate, Bruce worked as Dr. Michael Jensen's research assistant computer modeling the effects of human tissue on hand-held cellular phones. He also worked on a research team that examined the use of long wavelength lasers to detect blood clots in heart/lung bypass patients. He completed his Master's degree in Electrical Engineering at BYU in 1997. Bruce plans to study electromagnetism and communications at the Ph.D. level, and then he would like to work in industry and eventually return to academia as a teacher and researcher.

Greer, James Edward
Tau Beta Pi
2003-2004
James is a Civil Engineering major from Kaysville, Utah. He served in the Brazil Belo Horizonte East Mission and worked as a research assistant at the Environmental Modeling Research Laboratory for over two years developing ground water modeling software. He also participated in a research project with the laboratory and Beijing Normal University, where he was mentored by a professor from Beijing. The project involved developing a ground water model of an area in China, so James had the opportunity to go to Beijing Normal University and participate in a seminar on using computer-aided modeling software (which was developed at BYU). James earned his Master's degree from BYU in Civil Engineering in 2005 and is employed for the Environmental Modeling Research Laboratory. His research at the Environmental Modeling Research Laboratory contributed to the development of advanced software tools to make computer groundwater tools. The experiences he has had are assisting him in his ultimate goal of becoming a hydrologist and a water resource engineer. James married his high school sweetheart, and together they have one daughter. In his spare time, he enjoys soccer, snow-skiing and water-skiing.

Gregory, Adam M.
National Institutes of Health: Graduate Partnerships Program
1998-1999
Adam is from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He served in the California Oakland Mission and graduated from BYU in 1997. Adam majored in Molecular Biology.

Grow, Matthew Joseph
Institute for Humane Studies
2001-2002
Matthew is from Sandy, Utah, and he served in the Brazil Porto Alegre North Mission. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in April 2001 with a Bachelor's degree in History. As an undergraduate, he helped edit the Thetean, a student-produced historical journal, and he was involved with organizing Model United Nations competitions for high school students. Matthew received an ORCA Grant allowing him to research "the interactions between Parley P. Pratt and the San Francisco press during Pratt's two missions to California in the 1850's." This topic was particularly interesting to him since Parley P. Pratt is one of his ancestors. The research and experiences he gained at BYU helped him decide to pursue an academic career. Matthew pursued a Ph.D. in American History at the University of Notre Dame, specializing in American religious and cultural histories in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. He is married to Alyssa Bawden Grow; they have two children.

Hanley, David John
Fulbright
2000-2001
Dave is from Oak Hills, California, and he served in the Ohio Columbus Mission. He graduated with both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Public Policy in April 2001. Dave went to Bangladesh for the duration of his scholarship to do research.

Hansen, Christian B.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2001-2002
Christian is from Salem, Utah. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in Economics with a minor in Mathematics. He continued his graduate education in Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Hansen, Miles
National Security Education Program
2008-2009
Hansen is a senior majoring in international relations will be participating in a year-long intensive Farsi program in Tajikistan next year. "Receiving this scholarship provides me with the opportunity to learn a language that is critical to U.S. security interests while gaining invaluable experience in an Islamic culture that I deeply respect - both of which I intend to put to good use while serving my country and the peoples of the region in the years to come," he said.

Hansen, Shane H.
Fulbright
2003-2004
Shane is from American Fork, Utah, and he graduated with University Honors in Russian. He felt he was competitive for the Fulbright scholarship because he took honors classes, speaks Russian, and he already had a project in mind. He has also been involved in charitable organizations, the Russian Club, and study abroad. Shane received an ORCA Mentoring Grant from BYU to fund his honors thesis research, "Development and Freedom in the Russian Transition." The research he conducted in Russia is an extension of his honors thesis. In the future, he would like to pursue a JD/MPA or a JD/MBA.

Hanson, Seth Lynn
Institute for Humane Studies
1999-2000
Seth is from Atwater, California, and he served in the Uruguay Montevideo Mission. He graduated in American Studies from BYU in 1998. Seth earned his JD from BYU, graduating Magna Cum Laude, in April 2001.

Harris, Chauncey
Rhodes
1933
Not only was Chauncy D. Harris BYU's first Rhodes scholar, he was also valedictorian of his graduating class. After earning a BA in geology at BYU, he earned a second BA in geography from Oxford and a PhD in geography from the University of Chicago. A lifelong educator, Harris has taught at Indiana University, the University of Nebraska, and the University of Chicago, taking time off during World War II to serve in the Offices of the Geographer in the State Department, and in the Office of Strategic Services. During Harris' tenure at the University of Chicago, he was appointed the Samuel N. Harper Distinguished Service Professor of Geography and served in various administrative positions, including vice president for academic resources. Reflecting on his time at BYU 66 years ago, he recalls, "I got a very good undergraduate education at Brigham Young University, which I much appreciate. I had great teachers."

Harrison, Bryce Alden
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1998-1999
Bryce is from Ladson, South Carolina, and he served in the Chile Santiago South Mission. In August 1998, he graduated from BYU in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics. Bryce attended Harvard University for his graduate degree.

Hart, James A.
Barry M. Goldwater
2002-2003
James graduated Summa Cum Laude in April 2003 in Physics with a minor in Mathematics. He is from Provo, and he served in the Germany Frankfurt mission. His goal is to obtain a Ph.D. in Physics and to "become a fully proficient physicist actively engaged in research into the fundamental theories of the universe."

Haslam, Bryan T.
Barry M. Goldwater
2006-2007
Bryan Haslam is an Electrical Engineering major from San Diego. Although he didn't do any preparation specifically for the Goldwater Scholarship, his undergraduate activities greatly enhanced his application. Bryan feels that his internship at Princeton University and the subsequent letter of recommendation were instrumental in winning this scholarship. Bryan has been involved in lacrosse and the Honors program. He has spent a great deal of his undergraduate experience participating in research groups to further his education and career. In addition to earning a Ph.D in Biomedical Engineering, Bryan would like to research and develop new medical devices.

Haws, M. Edward
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
2006-2007
Edward is from San Jose, California. He graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Neuroscience. He chose an MD/PhD program because it combined the lifestyle of a researcher and a doctor. Edward participated in the Stanford Summer Undergraduate Research Program. He spent his undergraduate years in the BYU tutoring program and the TOPS program, which gives service to local school districts. Edward feels that research was essential in his educational and professional development. His research experience is "a foundation upon which I can build to reach my goals."

Haws, Nathan
Tau Beta Pi
1998-1999
Nathan is from Mesa, Arizona, and he served in the Kentucky Louisville Mission. He earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from BYU in Civil Engineering with a minor in English and a minor in Engineering Management.

Heaton, Paul Scott
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2002-2003
Paul is from Montclair, Virginia. He graduated with University Honors in Economics with a minor in Chinese. He attended the University of Chicago, where he pursued a Ph.D. in Economics.

Heaton, Richard Folkman
Institute for Humane Studies
2001-2002
Richard is from Houston, Texas. He served his mission in the Spain Barcelona Mission and graduated in Spanish Translation with a minor in Management from BYU in 1998. Richard attended New York University for his law & Master's degrees.

Henstrom, William Lee
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1996-1997
William is from Provo, Utah. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Physics from BYU in April 1995. In addition to being awarded the NSF Fellowship, William was also selected as one of thirty-two recipients of the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellowship. The Hertz Foundation awards postgraduate students who have the potential to become leaders in scientific and technological advances and exemplars of teaching in the applied physical sciences. While at BYU, he was also a Trustees Scholar, a member of Phi Kappa Phi, and a member of Sigma Phi Sigma. William pursued a Ph.D. in experimental condensed matter physics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He hopes to work in the computer industry and help to develop better computer chips.

Hick, Daniel
Monbukagakusho
1999-2000
Daniel graduated Cum Laude in Japanese with minors in Management and Zoology. He is from Laguna Hills, California, and he served in the Japan Tokyo North Mission.

Hickman, Jacob
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2007-2008
Jacob, a native of Orem, Utah, graduated in Psychology and Anthropology. As an undergraduate, he spent 2 summers doing international field studies in Guatemala under the mentorship of Dr. John Hawkins (Anthropology), and one summer in Anchorage, Alaska independently researching the changing health beliefs among Hmong refugees. His research was published in the "National Association for the Practice of Anthropology Bulletin." Jacob also participated in the Kennedy Center's annual inquiry conference. Currently, Jacob is a PhD student at the University of Chicago and is conducting his doctoral dissertation research on the Hmong diaspora. After graduation, Jacob plans to seek an academic position in either anthropology or psychology.

Higginbotham, Lisa
NIH Graduate Partnership-Cambridge
2006-2007
Lisa comes from Salinas, California and graduated Magna Cum Laude with University Honors in Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She feels that she prepared her whole life for this scholarship and that the most helpful thing was her research experiences, including an internship at Emory University. Lisa spent her time at BYU in various extra-curricular pursuits including: youth mentoring, clogging, tennis, volunteering, and hiking around picturesque Utah. Along with a strong knowledge of transgenic microinjection, Lisa has a great sense of humor. She published "A Biotechnological Approach to Engineering Orange Flamingos." in the mock scientific journal, "The Journal of Irreproducible Results." At Cambridge she will be earning her PhD in health sciences.

Hill, Keric Arnold
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2004-2005
Keric, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, graduated Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering from BYU with his Bachelor's degree and with his Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado. At BYU, he worked "on a student rocket project called Unity IV that was quite a blast (literally)." He also worked at Combustion Resources, LLC in Provo and spent a summer doing biological field research with his wife, Rebecca. However, he believes that fellow students, generous faculty, and his wife have helped him achieve his goals more than anything he has done himself as far as research experience. As an undergraduate, Keric worked with Dan Forbes and Thayne Lott for BYU Auxiliary Maintenance in the Wilkinson Center and claims, "There's nothing better than running a few tests with the ice cream machine after you've repaired it!" Keric also enjoys hiking with Rebecca (M.S. from BYU, 2002) and playing at the park with his son Charlie. Eventually, he plans to promote the exploration of Earth and beyond.

Hinckley, Jesse
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
2006-2007
Jesse Hinckley is a Neuroscience major from Idaho Falls. He feels that he was competitive for the NIH scholarship because he "diversified" his application and had significant involvement in various activities. As an undergraduate student, he was involved in Provo Youth Mentoring, a volunteer at UVRMC ER, a family history consultant, and a member of the College Republicans. While he is attending medical school, Jesse is involved in Major Grooves (an a cappella med school ensemble), Old Capitol Chorus (a barbershop group), family history consulting, Organization of Student Representatives to AAMC, American Medical Association political action group (AMPAC), and politics. Jesse said that research not only made him a more competitive applicant, but also "taught him a style of thinking and analysis that greatly enhanced his ability to approach problems and understand how to work through them."

Holladay, Nathan B.
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
2000-2001
Nathan graduated with University Honors in Biochemistry in 2001. He is from Longwood, Florida, and he served in the Micronesia Guam Mission. Nathan pursued his graduate studies at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Hunt, Robert Devon
Phi Kappa Phi Award of Excellence
2003-2004
Robert is from Pleasant Grove, Utah. He graduated as the first blind valedictorian at BYU in April 2002 in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy. In addition to community service and professional presentations, he also has eleven publications. Robert worked as a research assistant for two psychology professors for about two years each and received a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant in 2000-2001 for a project he worked on with three peers under the direction of Scott Richards (Counseling Psychology). The project is entitled, "Investigating the Attitudes of Seniors Towards the Role of the Gospel in their Classes: A Student Initiated Feedback Study Across the College of Family, Home & Social Sciences at BYU". Robert attended Stanford Law School to pursue his dream of becoming a professor of law.

Istook, Diana K.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2004-2005
Diana is from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She said, "Definitely, one of my best undergraduate experiences consisted of selfless teachers who guided me. I considered studying so many different things while at BYU. I think what pushed me to study math was the influence of two very special math professors--Dr. Lynn Garner and Dr. Rodney Forcade. Very early they made it clear to me that I had a unique talent for math, and they encouraged me to pursue it." Diana explained that their mentorship helped her develop confidence in her abilities. She also learned to truly love math, and she became excited about it. At BYU, she majored in Mathematics Education with a minor in English, and she participated in Golden Key National Honor Society, Study Abroad in London, and a Congressional Internship. She then completed her teaching internship at Timpview High School and then started a full-time masters program in Medical Informatics at the University of Utah while still teaching high school. There, she was a National Library of Medicine Fellow and began research in genetic epidemiology. But after taking a Biostatistics course, she decided to change her field of interest. She believes that the uniqueness of her application, and her two years of teaching experience is what helped her most for the NSF application. After one year at the University of Utah, she decided to move back home to Oklahoma and enroll in a master's program in Biostatistics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Her exposure to a lot of data issues at the University of Utah has helped her understand data management in the field of Biostatistics. Diana currently works as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Biostatistics Consulting Lab and has collaborated on a number of projects, including: a mental health analysis of New York residents affected by September 11th, an evaluation of an arthritis intervention by the Oklahoma Arthritis Network, an evaluation of the dental manpower in the state of Oklahoma, analysis of Oklahoma's State Genetics Plan, and work on microarray data analysis. Diana has been successful because of her desire to learn independently and to get the most out of her education. Her advice to students is "that it is never too late to start; you don't have to have your plans figured out from the very beginning." Diana graduated with her Master's degree in 2005 and pursued a Ph.D. in Statistical Genetics at the University of Iowa. She eventually plans to teach at a university and conduct statistical genetics research.

Jackson, Jacqualine
Barry M. Goldwater
2006-2007
Jacqualine grew up in Midland, Texas, but more recently hails from Anchorage, Alaska. She is majoring in Physics with a Math minor. Her best undergraduate experience was her NIST internship, and it was also fundamental in preparing her for the Goldwater scholarship. She has been involved with University Chorale, research groups and the Honors program. Jacqualine is working on her honors thesis this summer and will be studying the "effects of oxygen partial pressure on sputtered uranium oxide thin films." Her future plans include graduate school and earning a Ph.D in Optics. She would like to work as either a researcher or a physics teacher.

James, Christiaan
Fulbright
2005-2006
Christiaan hails from Arlington, Texas, and he graduated in Middle East Studies/Arabic. He was able to complete three study abroad experiences as an undergraduate and feels that these were invaluable in preparing him for the Fulbright application. His best undergraduate experience was co-presenting a paper at the National Middle East Studies Association conference with Dr. Donna Lee Bowen, who also introduced him to the Fulbright Program. Before Christiaan started his Fulbright, he was a fellow at the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad program at the American University in Cairo. He began his Fulbright in Yemen in January 2006.

Jensen, Brian David
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1997-1998
Brian is from Orem, Utah, and he served in the South Africa Johannesburg Mission. In 1996, he graduated Summa Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. As an undergraduate, he also received the Trustee Scholarship. Brian focused his graduate research on compliant micro-mechanisms, and he received his Master's degree from BYU in Mechanical Engineering in 1998. Brian is married to Jennifer Jensen, and they have one daughter, Katie.

Johnson, Blaine J.
Fulbright
2003-2004
Blaine was born in Flagstaff, Arizona, just outside of a Navajo reservation. He graduated in International Studies with minors in African Studies, Anthropology, and Zoology. In 1998, he received an internship at the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. There he saw the stark contrast of "poverty and affluence, success and despair, sympathy and indifference." He continued, "Perplexed, I went to Muhammad Yunus, the Bank's director, for advice. His response became a guiding principle for me: 'Before a problem can be understood, it must first be experienced.'" After he returned from Bangladesh, he became a part of an evaluation team in Flagstaff that assessed the feasibility of micro credit activity on a Navajo reservation. This project helped Blaine become part of the Navajo culture by participating in their daily activities and exchanging stories with the Navajo elders. He became a field-study facilitator and had the opportunity to travel three times to South Asia. These various cultural experiences have helped him to understand the role of social capital in the development process of a society. Blaine is going to Thailand with his Fulbright Scholarship to write a training manual for community leaders on how to manage simple microfinance projects. When he returned from Thailand, he planned to pursue a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies at Harvard University and to someday teach Southeast Asian Studies at the university level.

Jones, Emmalee
National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Research Fellowship
2008-2009
Emmalee is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has a major in Applied Physics, with a minor in math. She was an excellent student during her studies at BYU. She was very active in research in her field in the later part of her undergraduate experience. Emmalee has been accepted and is planning on attending the University of New Mexico; she is enrolled in the Nanoscience and Microsystems PhD program. Emmalee has plans of benefitting the future through her research.

Judd, Andrew
Tylenol
2007-2008
Andrew, an Exercise Science major, hails from Vernal, Utah. He found the Tylenol Scholarship through an online scholarship search. He attributes scholastic achievement, community service, medical experience, and leadership opportunities to his preparation for the scholarship. Andrew is a volunteer EMT for BYU EMS, an Exercise Physiology research assistant, and a Special Olympic Games Organizing Committee member. The experience assisting with research has allowed Andrew to learn to apply the scientific method in problem solving. In his future career as a physician these skills will help him better diagnose illness and injury, leading to better treatment of his patients. Andrew is the only son in a family of five children and loves being the uncle to his 3 nieces and 3 nephews. In his free time, Andrew loves playing sports, especially tennis and basketball as well as camping and participating in other outdoor activities.

Judd, Glenn Michael
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
1999-2000
Glenn served a mission in the Ohio Columbus Mission. He is from California, and he graduated in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics from BYU in 1996. Glenn is married to the former Kimberly Marie Fisher, and he attended Carnegie Mellon University for his graduate studies.

Keller, Ryan Scott
Harry S. Truman
2003-2004
Ryan is from Salt Lake City, Utah. He began college as a freshman at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., and then served a mission in the Guatemala City North Mission. Ryan came to BYU after his mission, and he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Philosophy in 2004. He has served in many service and community groups including a state-wide student organization, which he founded called, Students Against Violence. Ryan planned to attend graduate school in International Relations/Economics and obtain a law degree. He says, "At BYU, one of my best courses was Dr. Peck's honors course on Consciousness Studies...One day, Dr. Peck and I debated the dualist theories of consciousness...after one and half hours, we had completely filled three chalk boards with innumerable diagrams and equations that would have appeared like a mess of unintelligible scribble to anyone else." Ryan speaks a number of different languages including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, and K'ekchi, and he has received a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant for his research project entitled, "Another Perspective: Jordanian's View on the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict." Ryan was a state finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship and a regional finalist for the British Marshall Scholarship. He also received the Phi Kappa Phi Internship Award for 2003-2004, the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship for 2004-2005, the Gates Cambridge Scholarship for 2004-2005, and the USA Today's 2004 All-USA Academic First Team Award.

Keller, Ryan Scott
Gates
2004-2005
Ryan is from Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended one year of college at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. before serving in the Guatemala City North Mission. After his mission, Ryan came to BYU and majored in Philosophy. Ryan speaks a number of different languages including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, and K'ekchi, and he has lived in three different foreign language houses. Furthermore, Ryan has served in many service and community groups including a state-wide student organization, which he founded, called Students Against Violence. The organization opposes the state legislature bill that allows concealed weapons on university campuses. Ryan also founded Project Sahb ("friend" in Arabic); the group gathers donated school supplies and ships them to Iraqi children. In 2003, Ryan received the Phi Kappa Phi Internship Grant allowing him to visit Senegal for two months during the summer. While he was there, he worked for the government with non-governmental organizations recommending ways to improve the country's cultural and political problems. Then, in August, he went to Greece with The Institute for Political and Economic Studies. The program brings together 80 student leaders from 20 countries to discuss international issues important to the Middle East and the Balkans. Ryan has also received a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant to fund his research project entitled, "Another Perspective: Jordanian's View on the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict." He says, "If you believe in a cause and really want to go after it, you'll work hard and be successful. That's true for everyone." Ryan's main goal is to improve relations between countries. To that end, he plans to attend graduate school in International Relations/Economics and go to law school. Ryan's senior year and graduate study will be funded by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship (2003), the USA Today's 2004 All-USA College Academic First Team Award (2004), the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship (2004), and the Gates Cambridge Scholarship (2004). Ryan also received the Phi Kappa Phi Internship Grant for 2003-2004 and was named a state finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship and a regional finalist for the British Marshall Scholarship.

Keller, Ryan Scott
Phi Kappa Phi
2004-2005
Ryan is from Salt Lake City, Utah. He began college as a freshman at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., and then he served a mission in the Guatemala City North Mission. Ryan came to BYU after his mission, and he graduate Magna Cum Laude in Philosophy. He has served in many service and community groups including a state-wide student organization, which he founded called, Students Against Violence. Ryan planned to attend graduate school in International Relations/Economics and obtain a law degree. He says, "At BYU, one of my best courses was Dr. Peck's honors course on Consciousness Studies.... One day, Dr. Peck and I debated the dualist theories of consciousness...after one and half hours, we had completely filled three chalk boards with innumerable diagrams and equations that would have appeared like a mess of unintelligible scribble to anyone else." Ryan speaks a number of different languages including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, and K'ekchi, and he has received a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant for his research project entitled, "Another Perspective: Jordanian's View on the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict." Ryan was a state finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship and a regional finalist for the British Marshall Scholarship. He also received the Phi Kappa Phi Internship Award for 2003-2004, the Gates Cambridge Scholarship for 2004-2005, and USA Today's 2004 All-USA Academic First Team Award.

Keller, Ryan Scott
USA Today All-Academic Team
2004-2005
Ryan is from Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended one year of college at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. before serving in the Guatemala City North Mission. After his mission, Ryan came to BYU and majored in Philosophy. Ryan speaks a number of different languages including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, and K'ekchi, and he has lived in three different foreign language houses. Furthermore, Ryan served in many service and community groups including a state-wide student organization, which he founded, called Students Against Violence. The organization opposes the state legislature bill that allows concealed weapons on university campuses. Ryan also founded Project Sahb ("friend" in Arabic); the group gathers donated school supplies and ships them to Iraqi children. In 2003, Ryan received the Phi Kappa Phi Internship Grant allowing him to visit Senegal for two months during the summer. While he was there, he worked for the government with non-governmental organizations recommending ways to improve the country's cultural and political problems. Then, in August, he went to Greece with The Institute for Political and Economic Studies. The program brings together 80 student leaders from 20 countries to discuss international issues important to the Middle East and the Balkans. Ryan also received a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant to fund his research project entitled, "Another Perspective: Jordanian's View on the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict." He says, "If you believe in a cause and really want to go after it, you'll work hard and be successful. That's true for everyone." Ryan's main goal is to improve relations between countries. To that end, he planned to attend graduate school in International Relations/Economics and to go to law school. Ryan's senior year and graduate study was funded by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship (2003), the USA Today's 2004 All-USA College Academic First Team Award (2004), the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship (2004), and the Gates Cambridge Scholarship (2004). Ryan also received the Phi Kappa Phi Internship Grant for 2003-2004 and was named a state finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship and a regional finalist for the British Marshall Scholarship.

Kemeny, Deanne Clements
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1998-1999
Deanne graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering from BYU in 1998 and earned a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from BYU in 2000. She is Buhl, Idaho. Her future plans included pursuing a Ph.D. from Purdue University.

Kim, Dong-Jin (Dan)
Jack Kent Cooke
2007-2008
Dan Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea, and his family immigrated to Long Island, New York in December of 1994. He graduated Cum Laude from BYU in 2007 with University Honors. Dan's research with Dr. Kerk Phillips of the Economics department led to all sorts of resume building and life enhancing experiences-including publication and study abroad. His participation in the honors program helped him become a talented writer. Dan and his family placed education above all other priorities. Math came more easily than English to the 5th-grade Korean immigrant. Persistence paid off, and by the time he was in high school, Dan advised his classmates in Advanced Placement English composition class. He started college with almost enough AP credits to rank as a junior. When preparation for the US Open in Tae-Kwon-Do conflicted with studies, school prevailed. Dan contented himself with his 3rd-degree black belt, his two gold medals in the Utah Summer Olympics, and his state championship. While at BYU, he volunteered on projects to send mittens to refugees in Eastern Europe, built furniture for a local children's shelter, and sponsored five families for Christmas gifts. He taught martial arts and worked as a teacher's assistant and research assistant at BYU. He speaks Korean, English, and Spanish, and intends to use his talents in the service of transnational organizations' development programs. Dan is studying economics at the University of Cambridge

Kirwan, Barrett Edward
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1998-1999
Barrett graduated with University Honors in Economics with a minor in Mathematics in 1998. He is from Idaho, and he served in the England Birmingham Mission.

Kitchen, James P.
Tau Beta Pi
2003-2004
James is from Cary, Illinois. He first heard about the Tau Beta Pi scholarship at a meeting for engineering students and decided to apply. The two main things that he felt made him competitive were his mission to Italy, and his clear goal of pursuing an advanced degree in Robotics engineering. One of his favorite undergraduate experiences, in a Machine Design class, involved building a spring-powered catapult weighing two-thirds of a pound that threw a tennis ball eighty-five feet. James has a knack for understanding concepts and applying the principles of formulas to various situations. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering in 2004.

Krogel, Jaron T.
Barry M. Goldwater
2005-2006
Jaron is from Seattle, Washington, and he served in the England Leeds Mission. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Physics with a minor in Mathematics. He was involved in research with Dr. Ross Spencer (Physics Department) from his sophomore year. Dr. Spencer allowed Jaron a lot of freedom to create a computer simulation of the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). Jaron enjoyed exploring this challenging project with Dr. Spencer's superb mentoring guidance. Jaron is grateful for the research experience he gained in scientific computation and algorithmic approaches to solve problems. He plans to become a computational physicist and study biological condensed matter physics, or in other words, the study of the physical properties of matter on the molecular scale. Jaron's best undergraduate experience was courting and marrying his sweetheart, JulieAnn, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at BYU. They enjoy hiking together and have had the opportunity to visit Amethyst Lake in the Uinta Mountains, the Ozette Coast and Hoh Rain Forest on the west coast of Washington, and the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier.

Lake, Lynette
James Madison Fellowship
2005-2006
Lynette is from West Jordan and majored in History Teaching. Her best undergraduate experience was interning in Washington D.C. She feels that "every student at BYU should have the opportunity to study away from campus for a semester. It really changes your perspective." Along with the internship, teaching at a public high school and attending professional development workshops best helped her to prepare for this scholarship. Currently, Lynette is teaching history at a high school and attending graduate school at night.

Lake, Whitney A.
Phi Eta Sigma
2001-2002
Whitney graduated in Marriage, Family and Human Development. As an undergraduate, she served as the BYU Phi Eta Sigma Chapter President and attended the national meeting in 2000. After graduation, she traveled to Washington, D.C. to work as the Program Review Administrator for the Commission of Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. In the future, she plans on pursuing a graduate degree.

Landon, Colin
Barry M. Goldwater
2007-2008
Colin is from Grass Valley, California. He is majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Mathematics. He first heard about the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship from his friend, who saved him from "flipping a lot of burgers. " Colin's research with Dr. Brent Adams gave him the experience he needed to make him a competitive applicant. Colin is participating in the heterogeneous design capstone program, and publishing his research with Dr. Adams on materials' microstructure. When he is not exercising his mind, he is exercising his body. He loves running or biking. However, his best undergraduate experience was meeting and marrying the girl of his dreams, Lizzie, and having their first child, James.

Landon, Colin
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
2008-2009
Colin Landon has quite an adventurous spirit. This Mechanical Engineering graduate from Grass Valley, California played Tank War games at Fort Knox (riding in, driving, firing etc), jumped out of an airplane, and was a foreign exchange student to Guatemala. During his undergraduate years at BYU, Colin authored and co-authored several articles that were published in peer-reviewed journals, won an ORCA grant, researched with Dr. Brent Adams for three years, and spent two summers interning at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Colin is happily married and will pursue his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at MIT.

Landon, Colin
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2008-2009
Colin Landon has quite an adventurous spirit. This Mechanical Engineering graduate from Grass Valley, California played Tank War games at Fort Knox (riding in, driving, firing etc), jumped out of an airplane, and was a foreign exchange student to Guatemala. During his undergraduate years at BYU, Colin authored and co-authored several articles that were published in peer-reviewed journals, won an ORCA grant, researched with Dr. Brent Adams for three years, and spent two summers interning at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Colin is happily married and will pursue his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at MIT.

Largo, Revina
Morris K. Udall
1998-1999
Revina is from New Mexico, and she graduated in Zoology with an emphasis in Human Biology in 2001.

Larsen, Brad
National Science Foundation
2009-2010
Brad Larson is a Math and Economics major from Kearns, Utah. He also minored in Statistics while doing extensive work and research with Dr. James McDonald of the Economics Department. This research, which included econometrics and fraud detection, is what Brad believes best prepared him for the NSF Fellowship. Brad interned at the American Enterprise Institute and at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. He also attended the Washington Seminar and is a recipient of an Institute for Humane Studies Fellowship. He claims his best undergraduate experience was working with Dr. McDonald who is "the nicest man and an amazing mentor" in both academics and life. In the future Brad hopes to teach and research economics.

Larsen, Ryan Joseph
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
2001-2002
Ryan is from Elkhorn, Nebraska, and he served in the France Paris Mission. He earned both his Master's and his Bachelor's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from BYU, and he was selected as a graduate fellow for the National Defense of Science and Engineering by the Office of Naval Research to study material science.

Lemon, Jeffrey
Benjamin A. Gilman
2008-2009
Jeff Lemon is a Russian major from Springfield, PA. His advanced Russian study, three years of employment at BYU Independent Study and his six month accounting internship all prepared him for his study abroad in Russia. One of Jeff's best undergraduate experiences was taking Russian 422 where he explored the depth and complexities of the development of the Russian language. Jeff hopes to find a job related to either national defense or technical communications.

Lewis, Brenda
Barry M. Goldwater
1997-1998
Brenda was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, where her diligence in academics earned her the privilege of coming to BYU as a National Merit Scholar. She graduated with University Honors in Microbiology with minors in Chemistry and Music. Brenda feels that her education was enhanced by working with students as a Teaching Assistant and also with professors doing research. Her honors thesis research, "Evaluation of DNA Damage Caused by 11H-Benzo [A] Carbazole Using the Comet Assay," involved a comparing the amount of damage to DNA that different environmental carcinogens cause to human cells. Brenda received the Honors Student Award from the College of Biology and Agriculture, and she was offered an internship at Roswell Park Cancer Institute to research anti-cancer drugs. She plans to further her education in immunology and oncology and eventually become a professor so she can work with students and pursue her own research.

Lewis, Tyler
Phi Eta Sigma
2008-2009
Tyler is from Salem, Utah. He studied Technology Engineering Education and Tyler says the choice of his major has been one of the most rewarding experiences while at BYU. Upon graduation, he plans to begin graduate study in that field and then teach the subject that he loves. Tyler had been an active participant of the Honor Society Phi Eta Sigma, serving as both a vice president and president of the BYU chapter.

Ligon, Hilary A.
Fulbright
2002-2003
Hilary graduated in International Studies with minors in Arabic and Arabic-Islamic Studies. The Fulbright Scholarship allowed her to do research in Jordan. Her Arabic classes helped her gain interest in Jordan and the Middle East. She prepared for the scholarship by studying Arabic in Syria, serving as president of Voice (the feminist club on campus), and by displaying an exhibit of photographs depicting life in the Middle East. While in Jordan, Hilary studied women's influence on Jordanian public life, specifically politics. She stated, "My research goal was to study how the interests of Jordanian women, functioning in the public arena, become integrated into current public policy." In the future, she wants to work for a NGO, or the government as an advocate of U.S.-Arab relations.

Linton, Scott Hamilton
Fulbright
2004-2005
Scott graduate Summa Cum Laude in Spanish with a minor in International Studies. He is from Salt Lake City, Utah, and he used the Fulbright to conduct research in Ecuador.

Lloyd, David Brandon
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2003-2004
Brandon is from Draper, Utah. He graduated in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. He also received a BYU ORCA Scholarship to fund his research on using wavelets to compress data for network transmission for a real-time terrain visualization application. One of his best undergraduate experiences was when he took a geometric modeling class from Dr. Sederberg who "was VERY enthusiastic about the subject, literally bouncing with excitement. That enthusiasm was contagious." Brandon felt that it was important to talk with people who had won the NSF in the past so that he would understand the overall strategy to the application process. Brandon enjoys classical music, camping, water skiing, and playing with his two Jack Russell Terriers. He has several publications and pursued a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Loveridge, Lee Carson
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1996-1997
Lee is from Long Beach, California. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Physics with minors in Mathematics and Portuguese in 1996. As an undergraduate, he worked as a research assistant studying techniques recently developed for solving problems in Quantum Mechanics. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society, Sigma Pi Sigma, and was a member of the United States Team at the International Physics Olympiad. Besides being a research assistant, he also worked as a tutorial lab assistant for a freshman and sophomore physics course. Lee is proficient in Portuguese and German and received a Trustees Scholarship from BYU. His career plans include becoming a research physicist and a university professor.

Lowman, Ian
Woodrow Wilson Foundation: Andrew W. Mellon
2004-2005
Ian grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia. He graduated in History with an emphasis in Asian History in April 2003. He feels he was best prepared for the Andrew Mellon Fellowship because of his "desire and ability as an undergraduate to work independently and to search out original and neglected topics to research." He wrote his history thesis on a colonial Cambodian newspaper while working closely with professors and experts inside and outside of his field. Ian had the opportunity to study at a language institute in Wisconsin in 2002 and present his research at a graduate conference. In Wisconsin, one of the professors of Southeast Asian History offered him a position as a T.A. because of his language experience. He was the only undergraduate and one of a few non-professors who presented at a Southeast Asian Conference at UC Berkeley. Ian has been very impressed with the foreign language instruction he has received while attending BYU. He was also involved by teaching a history course at BYU-Hawaii one spring term and volunteering one summer at an orphanage in Bogor, Indonesia. Ian plans to further his education by "working towards [a] Ph.D. in South and Southeast Asian Studies at UC Berkeley in a regional-specific Humanities department that caters to [his] interest in history, philology, art history, literature, and ethnography."

Lyon, Mark Edward
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2002-2003
Mark is from Ogden, Utah. He graduated with University Honors in Mechanical Engineering in 2002, and he earned his Master's degree at BYU in the same field in 2003. He planned to pursue a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Macdonald, Brittany
Golden Key National Honor Society Scholarship
2002-2003
Brittany is from Orem, Utah. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in April 2002 in Dietetics with a minor in Management. Brittany has served as the Best of America Coordinator for BYU from 2000-2001, and as President of the BYU Golden Key Chapter and President of the BYU Student Dietetic Association for 2001-2002. As President of BYU's Golden Key Chapter, she organized presentations that promote healthier living. Approximately 110 BYU students helped to present the information to third and fourth grade children throughout Utah Valley. Brittany used the scholarship to cover her expenses while completing an internship in Dietetics at BYU. After her internship, she planned to work as a registered dietitian. Brittany was also named an honorable mention for USA Today's College All-Stars Team for 2002-2003.

Madsen, Troy Edward
Phi Kappa Phi
1999-2000
Troy graduated with University Honors in History from BYU. He is from Price, Utah, and he served in the Argentina Rosario Mission.

Martin, II, David L.
Institute for Humane Studies
2003-2004
David is from Spring City, Utah, and he graduate Magna Cum Laude with University Honors in Political Science. His honors thesis is titled, "Unicity Counselors in South Africa: Institutions, Representation, and Ethnicity." For the project, he analyzed the impact of ethnic group representation on political development in South Africa. He received a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant to fund his research. David feels that he was competitive for the Humane Studies Fellowship because he made school a high priority. He also published an article in the BYU Pre-Law Review entitled, "Military Tribunals and Constitutionality: Why International Terrorists Should Be Tried by the U.N." His best undergraduate experience was an Economics 110 course he took from Dr. Kearl. David enjoys outdoor activities like scuba diving, rock climbing, and surfing, and he planned to attend law school after he graduates.

Mastny, Ethan Allen
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2003-2004
Ethan is from Stratford, Connecticut. He graduated in Chemical Engineering and gained almost two years of research experience during his undergraduate education in a catalysis lab. He received a BYU ORCA Scholarship during his junior year because of his research on monoliths which are used to remove carbon monoxide from exhaust. Ethan was also a teaching assistant for the Chemistry Department at BYU, and he worked for an Alaskan oil production company building models and creating designs for better oil production for two summers. These experiences, combined with his high academic standing, are what made Ethan competitive for this fellowship. Ethan pursued a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, where he lives with his wife, Patience, whom he met while attending BYU.

Maxwell, Matthew S.
Barry M. Goldwater
2005-2006
Matthew graduated Cum Laude with University Honors in Computer Science with a minor in Japanese. He is from St. George, Utah, and he served a mission in Fukuoka, Japan. He was a member of the Golden Key Honors Society, Phi Kappa Phi, Association for Computing Machinery, and Japanese Club. Matthew was inspired by the Computer Science Colloquium on graduate school, which he took as a freshman. The class helped reaffirm his decision to attend graduate school and obtain a Ph.D. He began preparing early for the Goldwater Scholarship by working for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which has given him many opportunities to spearhead water management research projects in the last three years. In connection with this research, Matthew is also involved in a similar on-campus research project for his honors thesis with Dr. Sean Warnick (Computer Science Department). Matthew's honors thesis research involves the development of a hydrological model that predicts irrigation demand. Once he completed the model, he constructed a robust controller that will allow for automatic release of appropriate amounts of water from an upstream dam that meets the downstream demands and limiting excess water release. The goal of his research is safe and fully-automated control of water releases that will ultimately conserve water through efficient water management. Matthew received two ORCA Grants for related research. The first project, "OpenBasin--A Real-Time System to Access Hydrological and Weather Data," dealt with developing a software package that collects, manipulates, manages, and displays real-time weather and water data. The software is being currently used in water districts throughout Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. The second project entitled, "Demand Forecast Modeling: A Water Resources Application," involves the development of a forecast model for the Sevier River Water District in Utah. Once the model is finished, the robust controller will automatically adjust canal flows to desired amounts. In addition, he has been able to present a lot of his research at related conferences. He actually began preparing for the Goldwater Scholarship two years before he applied, and that preparation has also aided him in applying for graduate school. Matthew plans to pursue a Ph.D. and a career in scientific research.

Maxwell, Taylor Jay
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2000-2001
Taylor is from Rupert, Idaho. He served in the West Indies Mission and graduated from BYU in Zoology.

McIntyre, Frank L.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1998-1999
Frank is from Wichita, Kansas. He served his mission in the Portugal Lisbon North Mission, and he graduated with University Honors in Honors Economics with minors in Philosophy and Mathematics. Frank attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for graduate school.

McMullin, David Evan
National Security Education Program-Undergraduate
2000-2001
David served in the Brazil Porto Alegre South Mission. He is from Auburn, Idaho, and he graduated Cum Laude in International Studies with a minor in Modern Near Eastern Studies.

McMurtrey, Richard J.
National Institutes of Health
2004-2005
Richard, from Loveland, Colorado, graduated Magna Cum Laude in April 2004 with University Honors in Neuroscience. He has studied many languages including Latin, Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, and Russian. While studying at BYU, Richard played as a member of the BYU Rugby Football Club and also played intramural football, frisbee, and soccer. Richard is an accomplished pianist and guitarist and has produced two CD's with several original compositions. In addition to Richard's extracurricular talents and interests, as an undergraduate student he conducted research on ferromagnetic resonance in pulsed laser deposited films under the direction of his mentor, Dr. Carl Patton (Colorado State University). This research was published in the Journal of Applied Physics (June 1999). Richard also worked in the Neurology lab and as a T.A. for Molecular Biology 371. In the Neurology lab, Richard worked with Dr. Donovan Fleming (Neuroscience and Psychology) to complete his honors thesis research entitled, "The Effects of Harmony and Dissonance with Two-tone Narrow- and Wide-Range Frequencies on Auditory Evoked Potentials with Proposed Neural Mechanisms of Tone Perception". For the research project, Richard received a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant. The summer after graduation, he worked in the Organic Chemistry lab on-campus with graduate students under Dr. M. B. Andrus working on the synthesis of new anti-cancer drugs, specifically geldanamycin and alpha hydroxyl acid derivatives. Richard is currently enrolled as an M.D. student at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He has continued his research in medical school, obtaining NIH funding and publishing his research, "Alternative Splicing of Calcium/Calmodulin Protein Kinase II (CaMKII) Affects Subcellular Localization and Dendritic Arborization--with an Analysis of the Regions that May Play a Role in These Functions," in the Journal of Investigative Medicine (Jan 2006). Richard plans to complete his residency in neurosurgery and continue a career in academic medicine.

Mecham, R. Quinn
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1997-1998
Quinn graduated with University Honors in Comparative Literature with minors in Arabic and Political Science in August 1997. He is from Logan, Utah, and he served in the Canada Halifax Mission. He pursued a graduate degree from Princeton University in New Jersey. Quinn also received a Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship for 1997-1998, and a Fulbright Scholarship for 2001-2002.

Mecham, R. Quinn
Phi Kappa Phi
1997-1998
Quinn graduated with University Honors in Comparative Literature with minors in Arabic and Political Science in August 1997. He is from Logan, Utah, and he served in the Canada Halifax Mission. He pursued a graduate degree from Princeton University in New Jersey. Quinn also received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for 1997-1998, and a Fulbright Scholarship for 2001-2002.

Mecham, R. Quinn
Fulbright
2001-2002
Quinn graduated with University Honors in Comparative Literature with minors in Arabic and Political Science in August 1997. He is from Logan, Utah, and he served in the Canada Halifax Mission. He pursued a graduate degree from Princeton University in New Jersey. Quinn also received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for 1997-1998, and a Fulbright Scholarship for 2001-2002.

Merkley, Andrea Celeste
Phi Eta Sigma
2002-2003
Andrea graduated in Marriage, Family, & Human Development with minors in Psychology and Spanish. She is from Sandy, Utah, and she is married to Kenneth Joe Merkley. Andrea received the Oscar Beck Scholarship from Phi Eta Sigma with the help of her Chapter Adviser, Dr. Howard Gray.

Miller, Donald Daniel
Fulbright
1997-1998
Donald is from Sunnyvale, California. He served in the Chile Osorno Mission, and graduated from BYU in 1993 with a Bachelor's degree in Spanish and a minor in International Relations. He received his Master's degree in 1995 from BYU in Spanish as well. Donald went to Spain for the duration of the Fulbright Scholarship to study, "Catalina de Erauso: Creating a Heroine through Literature and Art."

Milner, Darin
Freeman Asia
2005-2006
Darin Milner grew up in Glendale, Arizona. He is majoring in Chinese with a Japanese minor. When he decided that he wanted to study abroad, he began searching for scholarships and found out about the Freeman Asia scholarship while looking online. He has made Asian studies a major part of his undergraduate education. In addition to his study abroad under the Freeman Asia Scholarship he also volunteered in Taiwan and has lived in both the Chinese and Japanese houses. This summer he is planning to travel to Japan in order to improve his language skills. Darin hopes to work for an international organization or the government in order to improve foreign relations.

Mitton, Michael Lee
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1996-1997
Michael is from Salem, Oregon. He graduated from BYU in Economics. While at BYU, he was a research assistant for the Philosophy and Economics departments and was an active member of the Economics Club. Michael wants to study International Economics and Macroeconomics and planned to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of California-Berkeley. While he enjoys economics, his other interests include writing fiction, composing music for the piano, cycling, and hiking.

Monson, Christopher Francis
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
2004-2005
Christopher is from Centerville, Utah, and he graduated from BYU in Chemistry. He began doing research and interacting with one of his professors at the beginning of his junior year. As a result of his research experience, he has had some publications. As an undergraduate, Christopher was involved in his ward as a cub master, and he worked for two summers at a Boy Scout camp. He is currently a graduate student in Chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley. Christopher also received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for 2004-2005.

Monson, Christopher Francis
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2004-2005
Christopher is from Centerville, Utah, and he graduated from BYU in Chemistry. He began doing research and interacting with one of his professors at the beginning of his junior year. As a result of his research experience, he has had some publications. As an undergraduate, Christopher was involved in his ward as a cub master, and he worked for two summers at a Boy Scout camp. He is currently a graduate student in Chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley. Christopher also received the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship for 2004-2005.

Montano, Carolina Maria
National Institutes of Health- Ugrad
2003-2004
Carolina is from Barranquilla, Colombia, and she came to the United States in June 2000 as a political asylee with the rest of her family. She double majored in Neuroscience and molecular Biology. Carolina learned determination to succeed at a young age as is evident when she says, "Sometimes chances are not given to the smartest people, but to those who push harder and don't give up. And my parents refused to teach me how to give up." She has used her determination to learn a lot here at BYU and overcome many challenges, including learning English, but most importantly she has learned to believe in herself and follow her instincts. Carolina strived to be competitive for the NIH undergraduate scholarship by becoming a teaching assistant for the inorganic chemistry lab, and by working as a research assistant. She mentioned that these two experiences were instrumental in her winning not only the NIH scholarship, but also a summer research fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Carolina has also been a bilingual tutor for Joaquin Elementary and Sharon Elementary school, and she is now involved as a Provo Youth mentor and a Jacobsen Center tutor for several science classes on-campus. Carolina loves "teaching and helping others get excited about science." Additionally, she is serving as the chair of the medical Spanish portion of the Women in Medicine's Outreach Committee this year. Carolina plans to obtain a M.D./Ph.D. in molecular neuroscience and disease-oriented research so she can teach at a medical school, balancing research and clinical work.

Moreno-Campoy Jr., Marco
National Security Education Program
2008-2009
Moreno is a senior majoring in Middle Eastern studies/Arabic who hopes to attend the American University in Cairo in the fall. He said, "This is something I've worked really hard for, and I'm so psyched to have received the award!"

Morris, Shad S.
Fulbright
2000-2001
Shad is from Riverton, Utah, and he served his mission in the Bulgaria Sofia Mission. Since then, he has graduated from BYU in Psychology with a minor in Management. He received a Master's degree in International Area Studies and a Master's in Organizational Behavior both from BYU in August 2000. With the Fulbright scholarship, Shad did research in Bulgaria.

Mudrick, Samuel J.
Fulbright
2001-2002
Samuel is from Reston, Virginia. He graduated in International Studies with a minor in Latin American Studies. He attended the BYU Washington Seminar Program in Washington, D.C., and interned with a non-profit organization specializing in international education and student exchange. He feels that the "diverse and broad-based curriculum of the Kennedy Center" is what made him most competitive for the Fulbright Scholarship. The scholarship allowed him to conduct research in Mexico, his wife, Julie, accompanied him. While he was in Mexico, he worked full-time at the Scotiabank-Inverlat and taking MBA courses at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM). Samuel is part of the Garcia-Robles Fulbright Bi-national Business Program between the U.S. and Mexico.

Nelson, Steven
Rhodes
1976
Steven G. Nelson used the Rhodes Scholarship to start his medical career. After receiving a BA in chemistry from BYU, he completed half of his medical degree at Oxford, then trasferred to the University of Utah to receive an MD. Nelson spent the next six years working on his internship and residency, taking a break to work at BYU's McDonald Health Center from 1982 to 1983. After finishing his residency, Nelson earned a JD from Stanford University. He then returned to medicine and joined Desert Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix. In addition to his medical practice, he teaches an obstetrics and gynecology class for the University of Arizona, does legal consulting, and helps his wife raise their four children who are, he says, "the main focus of my efforts."

Neyenhuis, Brian
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Foundation
2006-2007
Brian hails from Portland, Oregon. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Physics with a minor in Mathematics. A large part of his undergraduate experience was research. He was a research assistant for three years and logged over 2,000 hours in the lab. In addition, he was a part of two REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) programs, presented at various conferences, received three ORCA grants, and led several "physics outreaches" to local schools. His future plans are to pursue a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Nielsen, Lars P.
Barry M. Goldwater
2001-2002
Lars is from Modesto, California, and he graduated in Chemistry with minors in Mathematics and Physics. Professors Morris J. Robins, Steve Fleming, Merritt Andrus, and Paul Savage were instrumental in helping him be competitive nationally. These professors gave him "a lab to work in, a safe environment with high standards, and the confidence to question everything." During his undergraduate education, he won the BYU ORCA Scholarship. The scholarship allowed him to synthesize a small library of nucleic acid analogs that could act as potential inhibitors of nucleoside transporter proteins. These molecules were sent off to colleagues at the University of Alberta (where the biochemical aspects of the project were taking place) for biological testing. Lars really got to know his professors by spending quality time with them; they even hiked Mount Timpanogas together. In his spare time, Lars enjoys waterskiing, swimming, chess, movies, and museums. He attended Harvard University for his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and would like to be a professor at a research institute or university. Lars also received the Hertz Fellowship and the National Science Foundation Fellowship in 2003-2004.

Nielsen, Lars P.
Hertz Foundation
2003-2004
Lars is from Modesto, California, and he graduated in Chemistry with minors in Mathematics and Physics. Professors Morris J. Robins, Steve Fleming, Merritt Andrus, and Paul Savage were instrumental in helping him be competitive nationally. These professors gave him "a lab to work in, a safe environment with high standards, and the confidence to question everything." During his undergraduate education, he won the BYU ORCA Scholarship. The scholarship allowed him to synthesize a small library of nucleic acid analogs that could act as potential inhibitors of nucleoside transporter proteins. These molecules were sent off to colleagues at the University of Alberta (where the biochemical aspects of the project were taking place) for biological testing. Lars really got to know his professors by spending quality time with them; they even hiked Mount Timpanogas together. In his spare time, Lars enjoys waterskiing, swimming, chess, movies, and museums. He attended Harvard University for his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and would like to be a professor at a research institute or university. Lars also received the Hertz Fellowship and the National Science Foundation Fellowship in 2003-2004.

Nielsen, Lars P.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2003-2004
Lars is from Modesto, California, and he graduated in Chemistry with minors in Mathematics and Physics. Professors Morris J. Robins, Steve Fleming, Merritt Andrus, and Paul Savage were instrumental in helping him be competitive nationally. These professors gave him "a lab to work in, a safe environment with high standards, and the confidence to question everything." During his undergraduate education, he won the BYU ORCA Scholarship. The scholarship allowed him to synthesize a small library of nucleic acid analogs that could act as potential inhibitors of nucleoside transporter proteins. These molecules were sent off to colleagues at the University of Alberta (where the biochemical aspects of the project were taking place) for biological testing. Lars really got to know his professors by spending quality time with them; they even hiked Mount Timpanogas together. In his spare time, Lars enjoys waterskiing, swimming, chess, movies, and museums. He attended Harvard University for his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and would like to be a professor at a research institute or university. Lars also received the Hertz Fellowship and the National Science Foundation Fellowship in 2003-2004.

Nielsen, Richard
National Science Foundation
2009-2010
Richard Nielsen is originally from San Jose, California. He has also lived in Alaska, New York, and Massachusetts. Richard majored in Political Science at BYU and just completed the first two years of his PhD in Political Science at Harvard University. Richard believes that what best prepared him for the NSF was a "fantastic" research experience with Dan Nielson, of the BYU Political Science department. This provided Richard with an opportunity to learn about academic research, which in turn greatly influenced his desire to obtain a PhD. He currently resides in Cambridge, MA with his wife Leslie and his son Jonas. In the future Richard hopes to teach at the university level and do research in the areas of international relations.

Norcross, David Copeland
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
1997-1998
David is from California, and he served in the Argentina Mendoza Mission. He graduated in April 1997 with University Honors in Honors Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish. David is married to the former Elizabeth Hill.

O'Connor, Timothy
Gates Cambridge
2007-2008
Timothy, a 2007 BYU graduate in Bioinformatics, is from University Place, WA. He is addicted to discovery and research and is excited to apply the knowledge he has gained from majoring in Bioinformatics. Already Timothy has produced three posters and four prospective publications. He received an Exceptional Summer Student Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at NIH for a web application displaying microarray information. His current project is overseeing other undergraduates in implementing Maximum Likelihood for phylogeny reconstruction in an open source program. While at Cambridge and in the future, he plans to study the co-evolution in protein-protein interactions between primate surface proteins and virus envelope proteins. His ultimate goal is to find a greater connection between the genotype and phenotype in an attempt to bridge that gap. Understanding phenotypic interactions and the evolutionary changes they cause is essential in the long-term treatment of disease. Outside of research and school he is an Eagle Scout and has been active in community service through the church. Before his sophomore year he served as a Missionary in both Argentina and the U.S. state of Georgia. Timothy is pursuing a PhD (Probationary) in Zoology.

O'Keefe, Christopher Blake
Fulbright
2004-2005
Chris is from Leesburg, Florida. He majored in International Politics with a minor in Economics. He feels that he was prepared for many things in life because his parents emphasized learning and critical thinking. He said, "Without that foundation, nothing else would have been possible." Chris has worked for three years as a teaching and research assistant for Dr. Daniel Nielson. The experience he gained writing drafts, doing archival research, and conducting interviews in Washington, D.C., allowed him to become familiar with the literature that motivated his Fulbright project. He has also lived in the Arabic foreign language housing for four semesters and in the French house for one semester. He believes living there presented him with "an opportunity to get to know the language and the culture of the Middle East and other parts of the world and fall in love with them." Among other things, Chris presented his capstone research paper at the Midwest Political Science Association meetings in Chicago (2004) and served as the editorial assistant for "Al-'Arabiyya," the Journal of the American Association of Teachers of Arabic for the past three years. He received a BYU Mentoring Grant to fund his research on how theories of international relations do not account for transnational actors ("non-state" organizations such as large corporations, terrorist groups, and activist networks). Referring to his research project, he said "It took more focus and dedication that I thought I had. I was amazed to find that I could take a single project and pursue it so doggedly. The following trip to Chicago was very rewarding." His Fulbright Islamic Civilization grant allowed him to study the impact of Islam and religion and culture, in general, on development and political economy in Morocco. In the future, Chris plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Political Science.

Olsen, Aaron K.
Fulbright
2007-2008
Aaron is from Provo. He earned his bachelor's degree in Classical Studies with an emphasis in Latin and a minor in philosophy. Aaron is currently studying to her his master's degree in Comparative Studies at BYU. He feels that becoming associated with a good research project was what made him competent and competitive for the Fulbright grant which he used to review the Latin papyri of Herculaneum in Naples, Italy.

Oman, Nathan Brian
Institute for Humane Studies
1998-2003
Nathan is from Salt Lake City, Utah. He served in the Korea Busan Mission and graduated Cum Laude in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy. Nathan attended law school at Harvard University. Nathan also received the Humane Studies Fellowship for 1998-1999, 2000-2001, and 2002-2003.

Oshida, Mark
Phi Kappa Phi
2005-2006
Mark is a violinist and National Merit Scholar from San Jose, California. He served his mission in Curitiba, Brazil, and graduated Magna Cum Laude in Business with an emphasis in Finance, and a specialty in International Finance. He also minored in Music. As an undergraduate he conducted research with one of his psychology professors, and was supported in his research with an ORCA Mentoring Grant. As a violinist, Mark has studied with various artists including Chaim Taub (former Israel Philharmonic concertmaster) and Ralph Matson (Utah Symphony concertmaster); he has also studied chamber music with Joel Smirnoff and Joel Krosnick (Julliard String Quartet) and Jeffrey Khaner (Philadelphia Orchestra). Mark currently studies with Igor Gruppman (Rotterdam Philharmonic concertmaster) and Jenny Rudin (Baroque Sinfonietta founder). Mark has performed with the Peninsula Symphony, the Baroque Sinfonietta, the Nova Vista Symphony, the Catholic University Orchestra of Parana, and in several prestigious festivals in England as a Nancy Evans Trust Scholar. He has also been able to travel as a soloist, chamber musician, and concertmaster throughout Japan and Brazil. In his performances throughout Brazil, Mark helped host benefit concerts in conjunction with the Rotary Club International, Social Action Foundation of Parana, and Helping Hands to raise food, clothes, and toys for Brazilian children. Mark's many accomplishments include 1st Prize Winner in the San Francisco American String Teacher Association Competition, the Grand Prize Winner in the California Women's Club Music Competition, the first place recipient of the Campbell Women's Country Club Music Competition, and a laureate of the San Francisco Jr. Bach Festival. He has also been a soloist with the Orchestra at Temple Square, and had the opportunity to lead the Orchestra as concertmaster in the production of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's CD, "Sing, Choirs of Angels." Mark is currently a substitute violinist with the Utah Symphony. When asked what his best undergraduate experience has been, however, Mark responded that he has enjoyed attending the weekly devotionals at BYU. Although Mark was accepted to Harvard, Stanford, and Yale, Mark has chosen to pursue an M.B.A. at Harvard with the support of a full-tuition fellowship and the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship.

Pack, Nikkala Allison
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1996-1997
Nikkala graduated Magna Cum Laude with University Honors in Honors Zoology with a minor in Mathematics. At BYU, she worked as a research assistant, writing computer programs to estimate properties of geographic ranges using the Breeding Bird Survey database. She also developed statistical programs to analyze biological time series. She has also worked on a research project involving statistical and mathematical programming for linear analysis of rodent time series data and other programming and GIS work involving the Breeding Bird Survey and large-scale environmental data. Nikkala also received a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant, the National Merit Scholarship, and the Karl G. Maeser Scholarship. She planned to pursue a graduate degree in Bio-Mathematics at North Carolina State.

Packer, Jeff M.
Fulbright
2001-2002
Jeff is from Kaysville, Utah. He served in the Germany Berlin Mission and graduated in German Teaching with a minor in Russian Teaching in 1996. Jeff attended graduate school at BYU, and in 1999 he received his Master's degree in German Literature. The Fulbright scholarship has provided him with the opportunity to do research in Germany.

Palmer, Christopher
National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship Program
2008-2009
Christopher, an Economics and Mathematics double major, grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts. While serving his mission in Armenia, Christopher was struck by the high rate of unemployment in Armenia, despite being an educated population. When he returned to BYU, Christopher decided to investigate whether the receipt of a college degree improves the likelihood that an Armenian citizen is employed and increases his/her income, as well as how the effectiveness of higher education changed after the fall of the Soviet Union. Christopher traveled back to Armenia in the spring of 2007 to gather data for his ORCA grant and honors thesis. Christopher, the Economics Department Valedictorian, is now looking forward to attending a graduate program in Economics. Christopher was the President of the Economics Student Association, a Teaching Assistant for Econ 588, and a Research Assistant for Dr. Sims. Christopher believes that he would not have been able to accomplish his goals without the support of his wife Megan.

Palmer, Jeremy L.
Fulbright
2004-2005
Jeremy is from Idaho Falls, Idaho. He received a Bachelor's degree in Russian with minors in German and Arabic. He will graduate with a Master's degree in Language Acquisition specializing in Arabic in December 2004. He believes he was competitive for the Fulbright because of his ability to speak and teach Arabic. He began studying Arabic in 1999 and teaching it in the summer of 2001. Jeremy also studied Arabic in Syria during the Winter 2001 semester with a BYU study abroad group that was originally scheduled to go to the Jerusalem Center. He commented, "The Syrian people are extremely hospitable and charitable." He was awarded a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant for his project with Dr. Dil Parkinson to gather Syrian colloquial synonyms. Jeremy has enjoyed working in the Missionary Training Center teaching Russian for two years, taking courses in the CHUM department to understand technology in teaching and research, meeting his wife, discovering Hugh Nibley's commentary concerning Mormon culture, and dressing up as Mikhail Gorbachev for a presentation. Jeremy mentioned, "The person who shaped my education and plans for the future was Dr. Kirk Belnap. Dr. Belnap taught me Arabic,...listened to my opinions, allowed me to make many 'executive decisions,' and immersed me in the field of Arabic language acquisition...and nearly drowned me in the process!" He also expressed his appreciation for BYU faculty and staff, particularly Dr. Mel Luthy and others in the Language Acquisition department as well as the BYU library, which was an indispensable part of his education. Referring to his experience at BYU, Jeremy humbly asked, "Where else could you enter to learn and go forth to serve with a great education and a wife?" His picture was taken in Maloula, Syria (a Christian village outside of Damascus).

Parker, Jared T.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1999-2000
Jared is from Provo, Utah. He graduated in Chemical Engineering and served in the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo Mission. As an undergraduate, Jared worked with Dr. John Lamb and conducted research in multimedia chemistry. He earned his Chemical Engineering in December, 2003.

Parkinson, Ryan
Tau Beta Pi
2006-2007
Ryan is an Electrical Engineering major from Hemet, California. He feels that working hard and being involved were what best prepared him for this scholarship. His time at BYU has been spent in playing intramural sports and games with friends, volunteering at Slate Canyon Youth Detention Center, church activities, and church callings. He has enjoyed working closely on projects with fellow students and teachers. In addition to bonding with Jewish hop-hop, one of Ryan's best experiences was starting a real-estate management business with his roommate.

Paxman, Andrea Zimmerman
Phi Eta Sigma-The Fred H. Turner Endowed Scholarship
2003-2004
Andrea is from Orem, Utah, and she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Marriage Family and Human Development with a minor in Psychology in April 2002. She also earned her Master's degree at BYU in School Counseling Psychology. She is a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, and Kappa Omicron Nu. Andrea has been heavily involved in Phi Eta Sigma. She served as the student chair of the re-charting task force in 1998-1999, she was the President of the BYU chapter in 1999-2000, and she was the senior advisor from 2000-2001. However, she feels that her position as one of three student members of the National Phi Eta Sigma Executive Committee from 2000-2002 best prepared her for this scholarship. In 2002, the national convention was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Andrea conducted two convention workshops on communication, and led the committee meetings on publication and promotions. Because she worked closely with the national executive committee members, they were able to recommend her for the graduate scholarship. Andrea was also involved in working at Women's Services and Resources as a program coordinator and in the Counseling Psychology and Special Education Department as a research assistant. She enjoyed working closely with her professors doing research and practicum experiences in the public schools. Andrea also received the Phi Eta Sigma Undergraduate Scholarship in 2000-2001.

Peacock, Justin Gregory
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2004-2005
Justin graduated Summa Cum Laude with University Honors in Biochemistry with a minor in Physics. He is from Orem, Utah, and is a member of Golden Key International Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi, and German Choir. He also participated in the Master Teacher Foundations of Leadership/Honors Conference (summer 2002). During Winter Semester of 1999, he did a study abroad program in Paris. Referring to the culturally beautiful experience, he commented, "It deeply enriched my life and opened my eyes to new ideas and cultures." Justin has also been involved teaching literacy to elementary school students and as a mentor for a junior high school student. He received the Cancer Research Center Undergraduate Fellowship in April 2003, and was named Outstanding Student in Biochemistry for 2002-2003, and Outstanding Student in Physical Chemistry for 2003-2004. He is doing his honors thesis research with Dr. Linford on, "A Novel Method for the Preparation of Sulfhydryl-Terminated Self-Assembled Monolayers on Gold," designing functionalized self-assembled monolayers on silicon and gold-coated silicon. Justin had the opportunity to present his research in April 2003 at the Central Utah Division of ACS-BYU Spring Research Conference, where he received the Award for Outstanding Research Poster Presentation, and at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research at the University of Utah. He also received two BYU ORCA Mentoring Grants--one to fund his research with Dr. Linford and another one to collect and digitize the writings of German Jewish Female Scientists written during the Nazi Regime. Dr. James and Dr. McFarland of the German Department dedicated a website called "Sophie" to this purpose. In addition to his impressive academic record (3.99 GPA), Justin acknowledges that his research experiences have been invaluable; "I have learned to be self-reliant, to conduct quality experiments, to research current topics in my field, and to apply the current knowledge to the problem I am facing." After graduating with his Bachelor's degree, he pursued a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Yale and wants to eventually work as a research professor in academia.

Perry, Anthony Steele
National Institutes of Health
2000-2001
Anthony is from Mapleton, Utah. He graduated with University Honors in Molecular Biology. He served in the Arizona Tempe Mission and is married to Natalie Perry.

Peterson, Randall Theodore
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1996-1997
Randall is from Arlington, Maryland. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with University Honors in Honors Molecular Biology in April 1995. While at BYU, he worked as group leader of Dr. John Lamb's membrane research team. As group leader, he initiated a project to develop a technique for performing cation separations. The group's research findings have been presented at national symposiums and published in several scientific magazines. Randall was also an Ezra Taft Benson Scholar, a National Merit Scholar, and he received a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant in 1994. Additionally, he was selected as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Pre-doctoral Fellow in Biochemistry and Structural Biology. Randall attended Harvard University for his graduate study where he focused on the life sciences.

Plowman, Scooter
Clarendon
2008-2009
Robert Alan Plowman II (Scooter as he is affectionately known) grew up in Naperville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. While most students struggle to complete just one major, Scooter will graduate in August with three: Neuroscience, Latin American Studies, and Geography, as well as a minor in chemistry. In addition to his three majors and a minor, Scooter is also an Honors student. He had conducted original research in neuroscience, under a SMART fellowship at the Baylor College of Medicine and at BYU (studies of the Pax6 protein's effect on eye and cortex development in rats, memory loss following surgical removal of ovaries in rats, and studies of alcohol, cocaine, and ritalin addiction in rats), public health (medical pluralism for victims of acute respiratory infections, and growth and development of impoverished children in Bolivia), and Latin American history (personal histories of people in Brazil). He chose the latter as his Honors thesis, which will be published in a forthcoming book on Brazilian history. Beyond his academic success, Robert is an accomplished athlete. As a member of the BYU Racquetball Team, he received Intercollegiate All-American Athlete honors for his performance, placing second in singles and doubles in the 2006 Racquetball National Championship Tournament. He is also a talented tennis player. Although Scooter has widespread interests and talents, his passion lies in the neurosciences; anything relating to the brain and its physiology and function intrigues him. After reading for a MSc in Diagnostic Imaging at Oxford University he will be attending the University of Kansas Medical School as an MD/PhD student. The MD/PhD program is a fully funded program that will entail a six-year joint degree in preparation for becoming an Interventional Neuroradiologist involved in medicine and hopefully practicing at a teaching hospital. His ultimate goal is to rear a successful family with his beautiful wife, Jessica, and then serve many missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Porter, Roger
Rhodes
1969
Roger B. Porter says attending BYU greatly influenced his life. "I received an enormous amount of encouragement from faculty and students to pursue a life committed to excellence and service," he says. After graduating from BYU with a BA in political science and history, Porter received a BPhil in politics from Oxford and an MA and PhD in government from Harvard University. Porter's commitment to service has been two-fold--as an educator and as a public servant. Since 1977 he has taught economics and government at Harvard, where he is the IBM Professor of Business and Government and director of Harvard's Center for Business and Government. He is perhaps best known, however, for the 11 years he served in the White House as a senior economic advisor to Presidents Ford, Reagan & Bush.

Pospisil, Kathryn
Fulbright
1997-1998
Kathryn is from Mesa, Arizona. She served in the Romania Bucharest Mission, and graduated in April 1997 with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and a minor in Management. With her Fulbright Scholarship, she went to Romania to study, "Effects of U.S. Management Practices in Romania."

Poulsen, Andrew Joseph
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2002-2003
Andrew is from South Jordan, Utah. He received his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering with minors in Mathematics and Music. He also received his Master's degree from BYU in Electrical Engineering and is now pursuing a Ph.D.

Price, Joshua L.
Barry M. Goldwater
2002-2003
Joshua is from Neenah, Wisconsin, and he served in the Texas McAllen Mission. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with University Honors in Biochemistry. Joshua's goal is to obtain a Ph.D. in Biochemistry or Bioorganic Chemistry and to "conduct pharmaceutical and cancer research in industry or at a university."

Pritchett, Hannah
Fulbright
2006-2007
Hannah usually says she is from Belmont, MA, but may also claim Vienna, VA or Jakarta, Indonesia as home. At BYU, she majored in linguistics with minors in Arabic and mathematics, graduating Summa Cum Laude with University Honors in August 2006. As an undergraduate, she was prepared for graduate work by working as a TA in the Linguistics Department and by doing research for professors in several different departments, including Arabic and Planning & Assessment. Her honors thesis, which was supported by an ORCA grant, was titled "Reduplication in Indonesian and Malaysian: A Comparative Corpus Study," and was supervised by Dr. Dil Parkinson. She also studied abroad in Egypt with Dr. Parkinson, which was essential preparation for her Fulbright grant to Indonesia, where she studied Indonesian and Javanese and taught English to high schoolers. Other noteworthy experiences at BYU include studying a variety of foreign languages, participating in Honors student life through The Collegiate Post and the Writing Fellows program, and, of course, making great friends. Hannah is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in linguistics at the University of California-Berkeley.

Pritchett, Hannah
Javits
2006-2007
Hannah usually says she is from Belmont, MA, but may also claim Vienna, VA or Jakarta, Indonesia as home. At BYU, she majored in linguistics with minors in Arabic and mathematics, graduating Summa Cum Laude with University Honors in August 2006. As an undergraduate, she was prepared for graduate work by working as a TA in the Linguistics Department and by doing research for professors in several different departments, including Arabic and Planning & Assessment. Her honors thesis, which was supported by an ORCA grant, was titled "Reduplication in Indonesian and Malaysian: A Comparative Corpus Study," and was supervised by Dr. Dil Parkinson. She also studied abroad in Egypt with Dr. Parkinson, which was essential preparation for her Fulbright grant to Indonesia, where she studied Indonesian and Javanese and taught English to high schoolers. Other noteworthy experiences at BYU include studying a variety of foreign languages, participating in Honors student life through The Collegiate Post and the Writing Fellows program, and, of course, making great friends. Hannah is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in linguistics at the University of California-Berkeley.

Proulx, Gabe
Phi Eta Sigma
2008-2009
Gabe, a senior from Marietta, PA, is majoring in Bioinformatics with a minor in Computer Science. He served as the vice president and then as president of BYU's chapter of Phi Eta Sigma. Gabe also won a Phi Eta Sigma Chapter Scholarship in 2007. Gabe aspires to be a dentist. He believes that the Preview into Dentistry class was the experience that helped him prepare most for his future career as a dentist. He has also volunteered at the Share a Smile dental clinic. After Gabe graduates from BYU, he plans to matriculate in dental school in fall 2009.

Pulham, Kathryn Emily W.
Golden Key National Honor Society
2001-2002
Kathryn is from Lehi, Utah, and she graduated with University Honors in Humanities from BYU in 1999.

Quigley, Morgan L.
Barry M. Goldwater
2004-2005
Morgan graduated Magna Cum Laude in both Computer Science and Music with a minor in Mathematics. He is from New Canaan, Connecticut, and is interested in research on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. At BYU, Morgan had the opportunity to work closely with faculty to develop and focus his ideas. He was first a French horn student of Professor Larry Lowe, and then worked with other faculty members conducting research in Computer Science. He worked as a research assistant for Dr. Mike Goodrich in the Machine Intelligence Lab (Computer Science Dept.) for two years and with Dr. Randy Beard in the MAGICC Lab (Electrical Engineering Dept.). He also received two ORCA Mentoring Grants under the direction of Dr. Steve Ricks who runs the Electronic Music Studio in the School of Music. His first ORCA Grant was to develop a program that performs set-based algorithmic composition, and the second grant was for his honors thesis project which involves creating a real-time simulator of cellular automata that drives sound synthesis. Morgan said, "These one-on-one interactions have definitely comprised the best experiences I have had at BYU, and I would say that my two years with Professor Lowe was the best experience I have ever had in this respect." However, Morgan's recent work in robotics is what really caught the eye of Goldwater reviewers. He designed a series of computer interfaces for controlling mini unmanned aerial vehicles (mini-UAVs). These are small, remote controlled airplanes from a few inches to a few feet long. Mini-UAVs are used for many uses, from backcountry search and rescue to battlefield reconnaissance. Morgan first built successful laptop and PDA control interfaces before finally developing one where the remote pilot holds a model airplane in his hand and twists and tilts it the way he wants the mini-UAV to move. Gyroscopic sensors in the model relay these motions to the UAV while the remote pilot never has to take his eyes off of the vehicle. This work has already resulted in several publications in scientific journals and presentations at national conferences.

Quigley, Morgan L.
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
2005-2006
Morgan graduated Magna Cum Laude in both Computer Science and Music with a minor in Mathematics. He is from New Canaan, Connecticut, and is interested in research on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. At BYU, Morgan had the opportunity to work closely with faculty to develop and focus his ideas. He was first a French horn student of Professor Larry Lowe, and then worked with other faculty members conducting research in Computer Science. He worked as a research assistant for Dr. Mike Goodrich in the Machine Intelligence Lab (Computer Science Dept.) for two years and with Dr. Randy Beard in the MAGICC Lab (Electrical Engineering Dept.). He also received two ORCA Mentoring Grants under the direction of Dr. Steve Ricks who runs the Electronic Music Studio in the School of Music. His first ORCA Grant was to develop a program that performs set-based algorithmic composition, and the second grant was for his honors thesis project which involves creating a real-time simulator of cellular automata that drives sound synthesis. Morgan said, "These one-on-one interactions have definitely comprised the best experiences I have had at BYU, and I would say that my two years with Professor Lowe was the best experience I have ever had in this respect." However, Morgan's recent work in robotics is what really gave him an advantage in applying for the NDSEGF. He has designed a series of computer interfaces for controlling mini unmanned aerial vehicles (mini-UAVs). These are small, remote controlled airplanes from a few inches to a few feet long. Mini-UAVs are used for many uses, from backcountry search and rescue to battlefield reconnaissance. Morgan first built successful laptop and PDA control interfaces before finally developing one where the remote pilot holds a model airplane in his hand and twists and tilts it the way he wants the mini-UAV to move. Gyroscopic sensors in the model relay these motions to the UAV while the remote pilot never has to take his eyes off of the vehicle. This work has already resulted in several publications in scientific journals and presentations at national conferences.

Qureshi, Ahmed Irfan
Fulbright
1996-1997
Ahmed is from Littleton, Colorado. He graduated in August of 1995 in Near Eastern Studies with a minor in Arabic. Ahmed served his mission in the Canada Toronto West Mission and is married to the former Juliette Blackhurst. During his scholarship, he studied Arabic language in Jordan.

Qureshi, Ahmed Jamal
Fulbright
1998-1999
Ahmed majored in Near Eastern Studies with a minor in Arabic. He is from Gilbert, Arizona, and he served in the England London Mission. Ahmed graduated from BYU in August of 1998 and used his Fulbright to study Middle Eastern Languages and Literature in Egypt.

Rand, Timothy Aaron
National Institutes of Health
1998-1999
Timothy, from Provo, Utah, graduated with University Honors in Biochemistry with a minor in Music in August of 1998. He served a mission to the Japan Osaka Mission and is married to Janet Tate Rand. Timothy attended the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas after graduating from BYU.

Raymond, Scott Bruce
Barry M. Goldwater
2003-2004
Scott is from Bozeman, Montana, and he served in the Russia Moscow South Mission. On his mission, he developed a love for Russian literature and music. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in both Neuroscience and Applied Physics with a minor in Mathematics. While attending BYU, he tried to obtain a very broad science background by completing the entire physics core, biology core, and chemistry core. He believes that "successful scientists will be those that can effectively make connections outside of their specialization, integrating disparate research fields for creative, fresh approaches." Scott's research interests began in his hometown where he worked for a good friend, Dr. Gary Strobel, in a biochemistry lab. The experience he gained helped him to decide to pursue a career in scientific research. Since then, he has been able to research in several science labs on-campus, including Dr. David Busath's lab. His extensive undergraduate research helped him to earn the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for 2003-2004. He commented, "I feel that most of what is usually termed as 'accomplishment' in my life is more a result of great parents, great people around me, and a whole lot of opportunities that are blessings from God rather than deserved rewards." Last summer, Scott married Emily Mars and completed his senior research project with the Focused Ultrasound Lab at Harvard Medical School. He was named an Ashford Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and a Hertz Fellowship Finalist for 2004-2005. Scott began a Ph.D. program this in Medical Engineering/Medical Physics with the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

Raymond, Scott Bruce
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
2004-2005
Scott is from Bozeman, Montana, and he served in the Russia Moscow South Mission. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in both Neuroscience and Applied Physics with a minor in Mathematics. While attending BYU, he tried to obtain a very broad science background by completing the entire physics core, biology core, and chemistry core. He believes that "successful scientists will be those that can effectively make connections outside of their specialization, integrating disparate research fields for creative, fresh approaches." Scott's research interests began in his hometown where he worked for a good friend, Dr. Gary Strobel, in a biochemistry lab. The experience he gained helped him to decide to pursue a career in scientific research. Since then, he has been able to research in several science labs on-campus, including Dr. David Busath's lab. His extensive undergraduate research helped him to earn the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for 2003-2004. He commented, "I feel that most of what is usually termed as 'accomplishment' in my life is more a result of great parents, great people around me, and a whole lot of opportunities that are blessings from God rather than deserved rewards." Last summer, Scott married Emily Mars and completed his senior research project with the Focused Ultrasound Lab at Harvard Medical School. He was named an Ashford Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and a Hertz Fellowship Finalist for 2004-2005. Scott began a Ph.D. program this in Medical Engineering/Medical Physics with the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

Reagan, Laureen Diane
National Security Education Program: David L. Boren (Undergraduate)
1999-2000
Laureen is from Bothell, Washington. She is majoring in Anthropology and minoring in both Microbiology and African Studies.

Redfearn, Brady
Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship
2007-2008
Brady Redfearn learned to motivate himself very early in life, through Cub Scouts. He then progressed to Boy Scouts. "My drive to achieve was overwhelming at times. I worked as hard as I could and, after only two years, I earned my Eagle Scout award. I also earned two Eagle Palms. In addition, I was also fortunate enough to be awarded the highest special award in scouting, the Honor Medal with Crossed Palms for Saving Life, after saving a girl who was drowning in the ocean." Once an activity engaged Brady's interest, it became a serious pursuit. "I was introduced to computers as a second grader. Using a Macintosh Apple II-E, I began to type words and play games." He grew fascinated with technology. Again, personal drive couples with altruism. "I desire to travel to Latin America and offer technology to that region. The potential for improving lives by means of technological advances is virtually unlimited." Commitment to service plays a huge role in Brady's life. After high school, he moved to Texas to do missionary work. This experience introduced him to many illegal immigrant friends. "However we resolve [the immigration] issue, humanity and compassion must be shown to those desirous of achieving the American dream." Self-instruction in Spanish gave Brady fluency in less than a year of study. Returning to California and entering Butte College, Brady dedicated himself to studies and service. Among his academic and volunteer achievements, he excelled in literature classes, and sang Italian opera at a campus festival promoting Foreign Languages, organized student participation in Relay for Life and the annual campus clean-up, and coordinated a large community resource fair on campus. This scholarship makes it possible for Brady to pursue education in both technology and the arts at BYU. "I never remember a time when music did not speak to my soul. Singing has been the greatest way for me to share my feelings with others and would be the capstone to my educational accomplishment."

Reed, Erin
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2007-2008
Erin is from North Carolina and graduated from BYU in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. Although Erin never consciously prepared for the NSF fellowship, she was well qualified to apply because her professors encouraged her in her studies, she was involved with extensive service activities, she spent a year and a half in Taiwan, and she can speak Chinese. Erin is now working towards her PhD at the University of Virginia. In addition to winning the NSF grant, Erin also received the Virginia Space Grant Consortium Fellowship. As an undergraduate at BYU, Erin played rugby and was the secretary for the Women's Cougar Rugby Football Club, served as a tutor at Joaquin Elementary School, as a note taker for the University Accessibility Center and as personal and family historian at the East Lake Care Center, and was a member of the Micro Air Vehicle team. As a graduate student, Erin continues to serve others as a geometry teacher's aide and as a mentor for an 11 year old girl. Erin admits that she did not do extensive undergraduate research, but one of her professors exposed her to the research process and helped her realize her potential to do research despite her lack of experience.

Reist, Danielle Z.
Golden Key National Honor Society
2002-2003
Danielle is from Sewickley, Pennsylvania. She graduated in April 2004 in Piano Performance and has spent most of her life focusing on and improving her musical talents. She began playing the cello in second grade and started taking piano lessons when she was twelve. While an undergraduate, Danielle tried to get involved in both on- and off-campus activities. She was a member of the Ballroom Dance Company for two years (Fall 2001-Winter 2003), and she has been involved with Operation Smile and Golden Key organizations. On Sunday afternoons and evenings, she visits a care center with some of her "music" friends to play for the senior citizens. She played with the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra in Pines of Rome to help her expand her musical horizons. She worked on-campus as a summer office assistant in the College of Fine Arts and Communications Dean's Office, and she learned just "how much secretaries really do!" She also worked as an instructor of a beginning piano class (Music 113) and as a teaching assistant for Music Civilization (201 & 202). She is also a private piano instructor, and she earns a little money on the side by accompanying other musicians. One of Danielle's greatest landmarks was her sophomore recital last year where she was required to prepare a 50 minute memorized solo program. It was for this performance that she received the Golden Key Performing Arts Showcase in Instrumental Performance. Danielle believes that throughout her undergraduate education, she grew the most in her musical maturity, and she is now able to more efficiently "tackle the technical and mental demands of advanced piano repertoire." Additionally, she has a passion for learning about other cultures and languages. At BYU, she took German classes and lived in the foreign language housing, and this past summer she was able to visit Germany and Austria. She said it was exhilarating to be able to "walk in the same room that Schubert was born and stand in the entry of one of the doors Beethoven walked through every day."

Reuel, Nigel
Barry M. Goldwater
2008-2009
Nigel Reuel has been an engineer from birth. As a toddler he would gather all the shoes in his home and tie them together in a continuous chain. He would experiment with new knots, much to the chagrin of his parents. His favorite plaything as a kid was not the new toy but the package it came in. This Rio Rancho, New Mexico native is now studying Chemical Engineering with an emphasis in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in English. For Nigel, three summers of research at Sandia National Laboratories on various biological applications of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) was what best prepared him to apply for the Goldwater Scholarship. In addition, Nigel has had two articles published, applied for a patent on a Micro Flapper, and completed his Honors Thesis, which is titled "Development of the MD Ring: A micro-passive glucose sensor for diabetics." After graduating from BYU, Nigel plans to obtain a PhD in Chemical Engineering with an emphasis in Biomedical Engineering. He hopes to continue studying and researching in the area of metabolic processes and to research provide better relief, comfort, and treatment.

Reynolds, Makaria
Fulbright
2000-2001
Makaria is from Jerusalem, and she graduated from BYU in International Politics. She chose to use her Fulbright scholarship to go to Jordan. Makaria also received the National Security Education Program Scholarship for 2000-2001.

Reynolds, Makaria
National Security Education Program
2000-2001
Makaria is from Jerusalem, and she graduated from BYU in International Politics. Makaria also received a Fulbright grant for 2000-2001.

Richardson, Christopher Tracy
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
2003-2004
Chris is from Rolla, Missouri. He graduated in Microbiology and pursued his graduate studies at the University of Rochester.

Richardson, Kenneth E.
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
1996-1997
Kenneth is from Tempe, Arizona and served his mission in Edinburgh, Scotland. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. Kenneth is married to Jennifer Church Richardson and earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. While studying at the University of Iowa, he researched how "hypertrophic increases in L-type calcium channel expression are medicated by calcineurin."

Rinaldi, Ronald
Rhodes
1985
While at BYU Ronald J. Rinaldi participated in the Washington Seminar, interning in the office of the adminstrative assistant to the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The experience fueled his interest in law. After receiving a BA in American Studies from BYU and studying at Oxford for three years, Rinaldi earned a JD at Columbia University. He clerked for a year for a federal judge in Washington D.C. and then joined the faculty at the University of Arizona College of Law. From 1996 to 1998 Rinaldi worked as an associate in a New York law firm; he recently returned to Arizona to work for the Phoenix law firm O'Connor Cavanagh.

Roberts, Steven C.
Tau Beta Pi
2006-2007
Steven Roberts is an Electrical Engineering major from Riverton, Utah. He credits receiving the Tau Beta Pi scholarship to his diverse interests and activities. He makes certain to have goals and achievements in all areas in his life and not just scholastically. One of his great undergraduate experiences was to work as a research assistant in a department other than his major. This gave him a better understanding of the work world and more training in other disciplines. Some of Steven's future goals are to expand upon his Spanish-speaking experience serving in the Arizona Tucson Mission by learning more languages as well as earn an MBA and possibly a Masters in Electrical Engineering.

Robertson, Philip
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
1998-1999
Phil graduated with University Honors from BYU in 1996 in Biochemistry with a minor in Zoology. He is from Spanish Fork, Utah, and he served in the Puerto Rico San Juan Mission. He received a Master's degree in Biochemistry from BYU in 1998. Phil attended the University of Cincinnati--College of Medicine after he graduated from BYU.

Robison, Jacob Gee
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
2000-2001
Jacob is from Highland, Utah, and he served in the Samoa Apia Mission. He graduated in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry from BYU in 1999. He and his wife Aliess have moved to Cincinnati and Jacob attended the University of Cincinnati--College of Medicine.

Robison, Kathryn LaPointe
James Madison Fellowship
2000-2001
Kathryn is from McLean, Virginia. She served in the Uruguay Montevideo Mission and graduated in History from BYU in 1999.

Rogers, Aaron Michael
National Security Education Program
2003-2004
Aaron is from Mesa Arizona. He served in the Portugal Lisbon Mission and is double majoring in Economics and Political Science.

Rohrer, Brandon Robinson
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1997-1998
Brandon graduated in August 1997 from BYU in Mechanical Engineering. He is from White Rock, New Mexico, and he served his mission in Vilnuis, Lithuania. The experience he gained while on his mission has been very helpful to him in the job market. At BYU, Brandon received the Ezra Taft Benson (Presidential) Scholarship, the University's top award. He worked as a Research Technician's Assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory and on a Student Design Project with Hewlett-Packard. He is married to Melissa Rohrer and enrolled in the M.S./Ph.D. program in Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was accepted with a guarantee of support. Brandon was also named an honorable mention for the NDSEG Fellowship offered by the Department of Defense.

Roundy, Shadrach Joseph
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1999-2000
Shadrach is from Provo, Utah, and he served in the Texas Houston East Mission. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from BYU in 1996. Shadrach attended graduate school at the University of California-Berkeley.

Rowberry, Ryan Max
Rhodes
1999-2000
Ryan is from Silver Springs, Colorado, and he served in the Germany Hamburg Mission. Ryan graduated with University Honors in English with a minor in German. While attending BYU, he supervised the Canterbury Tales Project, which was submitted for publication, and he was the vice-president of the Intercollegiate Knights. Ryan was an Abrelia Christensen English Scholar and an Edwin Hinckley Humanities Scholar twice. His honors thesis was: an introductory study of the Anglo-Saxon ax. Ryan pursued a Ph.D. of Medieval History at Oxford University. His career goal is to be a "professor of Anglo-Saxon/Medieval History." Ryan likes to read, play sports, go to museums, and travel.

Runyan, Christopher Michael
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
2001-2002
Christopher is from Indianapolis, Indiana. He graduated with University Honors in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry. He served his mission in the California Oakland Mission. Christopher is married to the former Deanna Marie Lueken and attended the University of Cincinnati--College of Medicine.

Russ, John Alma
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
2004-2005
Johnny, from Fruitland Park, Florida, graduated Summa Cum Laude in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. He started preparing for graduate school fellowships when he was a sophomore by maintaining a 4.0 G.P.A. and working as a research assistant. He has two years of undergraduate research experience with three different professors. He worked in the VLSI Lab with Dr. David Comer and with Dr. Lee Swindlehurst on radar detection and signal processing. Johnny and Dr. Swindlehurst published a paper at the 2004 IEEE Radar Conference on their findings. Johnny's senior research project involved a multidisciplinary team of students who studied decision and coordination within multi-agent systems. He commented, "My research has helped me hone my interests and learn what I would like to work on in graduate school. I believe it was the major factor in helping me win these fellowships. Having an opportunity to work closely with my professors and getting to know them outside of the classroom has been wonderful. Their help and counsel have guided me tremendously in making decisions about my future career and goals." Johnny also received the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship for 2004-2005. He used this funding to study at MIT where he pursued a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering.

Russ, John Alma
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2004-2005
Johnny, from Fruitland Park, Florida, graduated Summa Cum Laude in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. He started preparing for graduate school fellowships when he was a sophomore by maintaining a 4.0 G.P.A. and working as a research assistant. He has two years of undergraduate research experience with three different professors. He worked in the VLSI Lab with Dr. David Comer and with Dr. Lee Swindlehurst on radar detection and signal processing. Johnny and Dr. Swindlehurst published a paper at the 2004 IEEE Radar Conference on their findings. Johnny's senior research project involved a multidisciplinary team of students who studied decision and coordination within multi-agent systems. He commented, "My research has helped me hone my interests and learn what I would like to work on in graduate school. I believe it was the major factor in helping me win these fellowships. Having an opportunity to work closely with my professors and getting to know them outside of the classroom has been wonderful. Their help and counsel have guided me tremendously in making decisions about my future career and goals." Johnny also received the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship for 2004-2005. He used this funding to study at MIT where he pursued a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering.

Rytting, Christopher Anton
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2001-2002
Anton is from Westminster, California. He was awarded the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship, and he recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from BYU with University Honors in Linguistics and minors in Language & Computers and Classical Studies. He worked with Professor Deryle Lonsdale in the Linguistics Department to complete his honors thesis research on how to train computers to choose the correct meaning of ambiguous words. Anton and Professor Lonsdale have been invited to present their research at the North American Association for Computational Linguistics hosted at Carnegie Mellon University, and at the European Summer School on Logic, Language, and Information in Helsinki, Finland. Anton said, "Because BYU focuses on undergraduate research, it makes graduate candidates stand out from the crowd." Anton is proficient in three foreign languages: Arabic, Greek, and Latin; and he is attended graduate school at Ohio State University. Anton also received a National Science Foundation Fellowship for 2001-2002.

Rytting, Christopher Anton
Phi Kappa Phi
2001-2002
Anton is from Westminster, California. He was awarded the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship, and he recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from BYU with University Honors in Linguistics and minors in Language & Computers and Classical Studies. He worked with Professor Deryle Lonsdale in the Linguistics Department to complete his honors thesis research on how to train computers to choose the correct meaning of ambiguous words. Anton and Professor Lonsdale have been invited to present their research at the North American Association for Computational Linguistics hosted at Carnegie Mellon University, and at the European Summer School on Logic, Language, and Information in Helsinki, Finland. Anton said, "Because BYU focuses on undergraduate research, it makes graduate candidates stand out from the crowd." Anton is proficient in three foreign languages: Arabic, Greek, and Latin; and he attended graduate school at Ohio State University. Anton also received a National Science Foundation Fellowship for 2001-2002.

Samahon, Tuan M.
Institute for Humane Studies
1997-2000

Sampson, Jennifer Margaret
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2000-2001
Jennifer is from Provo, and she graduated in Molecular Biology from BYU. Jennifer attended the University of Washington for graduate school.

Scherer, Philip
Phi Kappa Phi
2006-2007
Philip graduated Magna Cum Laude in Microbiology and is from Sarasota, Florida. After graduation, he attended the University of Florida-College of Medicine. He spent his undergraduate experience pursuing various interests and activities. After serving a mission to Berlin, Germany, he applied the discipline and determination he learned there to his academic and extracurricular activities. Philip worked on research in the BYU Oncology Research Facility with Dr. Kim O'Neill and received an ORCA grant for a cancer research project. He was able to present at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. In addition to the research relating to his field, Philip spent his time tutoring and developing his musical talents. Some of his best undergraduate experiences were playing viola in the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra and the Provo Center Street Theatre Orchestra.

Schulzke, Charles Eric
Institute for Humane Studies
1993-1999
Charles is from Roseville, California, and he served his mission in Vienna, Austria. He graduated in 1993 from BYU in English, and he is married to Cheri Carman Schulzke. Charles also received the Humane Studies Fellowship for 1993, 1994, and 1995 (as well as 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999). He attended Boston College for his Master's degree and received his Ph.D. in 2002 from the University of California-Berkeley.

Schulzke, Stuart Spencer
Institute for Humane Studies
2001-2002
Stuart is from Auburn, California, and he served in the Hungary Budapest Mission. He graduated in English with a minor in European Studies from BYU in 1999. Stuart pursued a Master's degree in Philosophy at Oxford University.

Schwartz II, Robert Francis
Fulbright
2002-2003
Robert graduated in Philosophy, and he served his mission in Poland. He speaks Polish fluently, so he worked as a Polish translator for the Church and for the J. Reuben Clark Law School. While working as a translator for the law school, he met Mr. Lech Garlicki, a constitutional judge and professor at Warsaw University. In reference to Mr. Garlicki, Robert said, "I wanted to study with him to gain knowledge from someone who played a formative role in drafting Poland's 1997 constitution." His Fulbright Scholarship allowed him to go to Poland and collaborate with Mr. Garlicki. Robert's project involved writing a paper on the development of freedoms of religion in Poland from the collapse of communism in 1989. After researching in Poland, he wrote his findings in both English and Polish. When he finished, he attended the University of Chicago Law School and wants to eventually teach international constitutional law with an emphasis on freedom of religion.

Seawright, Jason Woodland
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2000-2001
Jason served in the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo Mission. He is from Lindon, Utah, and he graduated in Computer Science with a minor in Political Science from BYU in 1999. Jason attended the University of California-Berkeley for graduate school.

Secrest, Aaron M.
National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnerships Program
2004-2005
Aaron, from Plano, Texas, served as a Vietnamese-speaking missionary in Melbourne, Australia. He received his Bachelor's degree in Microbiology with minors in Business Management and Asian Studies. As an undergraduate, he concurrently worked in three research labs on-campus. While conducting cancer research with Dr. Kim O'Neill (Microbiology), he studied apoptosis, thymidine kinase, and antioxidants. As a research assistant for Dr. Craig Thulin (Biochemistry), he focused on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and apoptosis. For his research on AMD, he received a BYU ORCA Mentoring Grant in Winter 2003. He also performed analytical chemistry research with Dr. John Lamb (Chemistry) on anion separations and macrocycles. Furthermore, he worked as an assistant editor to Dr. Lamb on the "Journal of Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry." Aaron is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, has volunteered as a student mentor for the Joaquin Elementary School fifth grade class, and has earned his Basic Emergency Medical Training Certification. In the summer of 2003, he was awarded the Undergraduate Research Fellowship from the BYU Cancer Research Center, which is the most prestigious undergraduate research award given at BYU. However, he declined the award because he was accepted into the Summer Medical and Researching Training (SMART) Program at Baylor College of Medicine's Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. During his research internship at Baylor, he studied Ras oncogene, yeast two-hybrid, and intracellular protein localization with Dr. Eric Chang. Aaron feels that his best undergraduate experiences have come from presenting his research at national conferences. He is currently enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Pittsburgh, one of the top fifteen medical schools in the country. Aaron is pursuing a combined M.D./Ph.D. and possibly an M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University. He and his wife, Katie, began the J.D./M.B.A. program at the University of Pittsburgh, have one son, Cyrus. Aaron also enjoys jogging, racquetball, bowling, reading, and foreign travel.

Shosted, Ryan Keith
Fulbright
2000-2001
Ryan is from West Valley, Utah, and he served in the Brazil Florianopolis Mission. He graduated in Linguistics with minors in Language & Computers and TESOL. Ryan chose to do research at Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique. Ryan also received the Jacob Javits Fellowship for 2001-2002.

Shosted, Ryan Keith
Jacob K. Javits
2001-2002
Ryan served his mission in the Brazil Florianopolis Mission. He is from West Valley City, Utah, and he graduated in Linguistics with minors in Language & Computers and TESOL in 2000. Prior to pursuind his graduate studies at UC Berkeley, Ryan spent time researching at Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique. Ryan also received the Fulbright Scholarship in 2000-2001.

Sims, David Patrick
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1999-2000
David served a mission in the Poland Warsaw Mission. He is from Bakersfield, California, and he graduated in both Economics and History. David attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology for graduate school.

Skabelund, Aaron Herald
National Security Education Program: Graduate
2002-2003
Aaron is from Springville, Utah, and he served in the Japan Kobe Mission. He graduated in both Japanese and International Relations from BYU in 1995. Aaron pursued a Ph.D. at Columbia University and studied Japan/Japanese with a focus in Japan's postwar military.

Smith, Julie Kalani
Phi Kappa Phi
1998-1999
Julie is from Laie, Hawaii. She served a mission in the Denmark Copenhagen Mission, and she graduated with University Honors from BYU in August of 1998. Julie majored in both German and European Studies with a minor in English.

Smith, Kiely
Benjamin A. Gilman
2008-2009
Kiely Smith is a Theatre Education major from Morgan Hill, California. Kiely feels that the directorial work and personal research she has done for the theatre department at BYU prepared her for this scholarship and her study abroad in the UK. She has also received the TMA Merit scholarship and directed a Commedia Dell'Arte piece. She hopes to teach theatre and start her own Commedia Dell-Arte touring troupe for high school students. Kiely comes from a large a family who she credits for teaching her about love, laughter, and not letting life get you down. Because of this, comedy theatre has become Kiely's life work.

Smith, Rachel Mae
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1999-2000
Rachel is originally from El Paso, Texas. She served her mission in Portugal and graduated in Molecular Biology. At BYU, she researched under Dr. Paul Evans and Dr. Leo Vernon. She has been named a National Merit Scholar, a Robert C. Byrd Scholar, and has been given a National Academy of Space, Science, and Technology award. She likes to dance, read, watch foreign films, and eat Mexican food. Rachel pursued her graduate degree in Biochemistry at Yale University.

Smith, Ronald Stephen
Institute for Humane Studies
2001-2002
Ronald is a Political Science, BYU graduate from Salt Lake City, Utah. He served in the Ecuador Quito Mission and pursued a Ph.D. at Indiana University. Ronald also received the Humane Studies Fellowship for 2002-2003.

Smith, Troy
National Science Foundation
2009-2010
Originally from Lehi, Utah Troy double majored in Economics and International Studies, and double minored in Mathematics and African Studies. Troy has participated in a plethora of research, intern, and volunteer positions not only in the U.S. but also in India, Zambia and Uganda. While an undergraduate at BYU, Troy worked as a teaching assistant for several Economics courses. Graduating as valedictorian from the Department of Economics, Troy continued to participate in research opportunities abroad. Troy believes what best prepared him for the NSF fellowship was his research through an international volunteers program in Uganda in 2002. He considers this, and another internship in Africa, as his best undergraduate experiences. Troy will spend the rest of the summer of 2009 learning Spanish in Guatemala and in India doing research. In the fall of 2009, Troy plans to begin a PhD in Economics at Stanford.

Sommers, Linsey Rae
Institute for Humane Studies
1999-2000
Linsey graduated from BYU in Political Science with minors in Philosophy and History. She is from California, and she attended law school at University of California, Los Angeles.

Staples, Jeffrey
Barry M. Goldwater
2009-2010
Jeff is from Blue Springs, Missouri. He has a major in Bioinformatics and certainly has a passion for it. He has had unique experiences in his studies this far; ranging from interesting studies to attending a research internship at Harvard. Jeff plans to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Informatics through, "looking for the causes of complex diseases and their possible treatments." As Jeff looks back on his undergraduate experience this far, some of his fondest memories are working with his faculty coaches and doing what he loves and longs to do- research.

Stoehr, Tyler
Phi Kappa Phi
2007-2008
Tyler, a double-major in Philosophy and Music with a French minor, hails from Arvada, Colorado. He feels that preparing an application for the Marshall Scholarship with Carolyn Tuitupou and Dr. Heidi Vollmer-Snarr helped him with the other scholarship applications he filled out, including the Phi Kappa Phi application. Tyler also received the Phi Eta Sigma Chapter Scholarship and the Robert K. Thomas Scholarship. He was active in the Philosophy and French Clubs, the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology, Phi Eta Sigma, Men's Chorus, University Chorale, Chess Club, and intramural flag football. Tyler also completed his honors thesis which was titled, "Aristotle's Vision of God: Moving Beyond the Unmoved Mover" in which he argued that Aristotle's understanding of God was much more robust than the commonly promulgated theory of an "unmoved mover" who is responsible for the motion in the universe. He received an ORCA grant for his research. Tyler maintains that the defining moment of his undergraduate experience was taking philosophy 215 from Dr. David Paulsen. Not only did the class inspire him to pursue a degree in Philosophy, but it also encouraged him to become a research and teaching assistant. Tyler and his wife Hannah are the proud parents of Samuel and Jocelyn. Besides reading, his hobbies include video editing, golf, the occasional video game, and above all, cooking. In fact, during his year abroad in Paris (2005-2006), he seriously considered dropping out of the Sorbonne (where he was studying Greek and Latin) in order to attend culinary school.

Stoltenberg, Randall Mark
Barry M. Goldwater
2004-2005
Randy is from Lodi, California. As a Chemistry major, he received undergraduate research awards from the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. Randy said, "My research experience has been and will be key in my future. It has made all the difference in receiving a Goldwater Scholarship. It also helped me get an internship this summer at Stanford. Only 28 of 200 applicants were admitted to the program, and I attribute my acceptance to the research experience I have garnered while at BYU." Randy also feels that his close contact with faculty members has been beneficial to his application because faculty were able to write letters of recommendation that truly represented his abilities. Randy states, "I think the best experience I have had [at BYU] has been courting and marrying my wife. Hands down! But academically speaking, the most exciting thing I've done as an undergraduate is to participate in published research. I work with very talented and generous graduate students that bend over backwards to include me in their research and publications--seeing my writing and results in a published journal has been a fulfilling experience."

Stoltenberg, Randall Mark
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2005-2006
Randy is from Lodi, California. He majored in Chemistry, and has received undergraduate research awards from the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at BYU as well as the prestigious national Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Randy has been conducting research on-campus with Dr. Adam T. Woolley (Chemistry and Biochemistry) to develop methods for DNA-templated copper nanowire fabrication and characterization. He is currently helping integrate nanowires into simple circuits to understand their electrical behavior. Randy states, "My near-term scientific interests include nanoelectronic device designing, fabrication, and application. I find the possibility of constructing working devices from chemicals on the nanometer scale absolutely fascinating." Randy was also able to participate in research as an intern at Stanford University. Randy began the Chemistry doctoral program at Stanford in Fall 2006. After he finishes his Ph.D., he plans to work in industry.

Stone, Peter K.
Harry S. Truman
2003-2004
Peter is from Modesto, California. He comes from a family of eight children, all of which (including his parents) graduated from BYU. Peter, being the youngest in his family, is tying up the Stone legend at BYU with great success. He has shown continual dedication to the community, particularly to the political aspect of the community, for the past ten years. Peter developed an interest in politics at a very young age. He was on his high school speech and debate team, and he was on the Model UN team at BYU. He has had several internships in Washington, D.C., and he has also had the opportunity to work with Newt Gingrich and Jay Jorgensen. He learned as a freshman, in a predominately senior political science class, that he ought to always challenge himself and never underestimate his abilities. Peter planned on working in Washington, D.C. after he graduated, and to eventually work for the government in a health-related role. He has been published in "USA Today" and in the Spring 2003 "Insight."

Stoneman, Jack C.
Monbukagakusho
1996-1997
Jack is from Spanish Fork, Utah. He graduated with University Honors in Humanities and Japanese with a minor in Asian Studies. Jack served in the Japan Nagoya mission, and in 1996-1997 he had the privilege of studying at Kyoto University as a Monbusho Fellow. He plans to pursue a graduate degree in languages and literature at Columbia University. Jack's hobbies include poetry, reading, and music.

Swapp, Ryan E.
Fulbright
2003-2004
Ryan grew up in Pleasant View, Utah, but he calls Englewood, Colorado home because he attended high school there. He graduated with university honors from BYU in Microbiology. Early on in his undergraduate education, Ryan began researching in a genetics lab. He worked in the lab for three years and the knowledge he gained there helped him to complete his honors thesis. For his honors thesis, Ryan went to Peru to research the genetics of a group of Peruvians to determine the origin of their ancestors. Ryan also volunteered with BYUSA, been involved with various mentoring programs, and run a marathon. However, his favorite undergraduate experience was volunteering in Haiti with his wife. Ryan felt that he was competitive for the Fulbright Scholarship because his extensive research experience qualified him for his proposed project. He used the scholarship to conduct genetic research in Slovenia. After researching abroad, he entered medical school.

Swigert, Jason Clair
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
2002-2003
Jason is from Provo, Utah, and he served in the France Paris Mission. He graduated from BYU in Music Performance with an emphasis in strings and minors in Chemistry and Microbiology. Jason is married to the former Katherine Louise Brim.

Swindle, Alison
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1999-2000
Alison is from Provo, Utah. She served in the California Fresno Mission, Latin-speaking. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Zoology with University Honors. At BYU, she received two ORCA Mentoring Research Grants to fund her honors thesis research in Australia. Alison's honors thesis is entitled, "The Phylogeny of the Order Siphonaptera according to 18S, 28S, and EF-1 Alpha DNA Sequences." During her undergraduate education, she has also worked at the Bean Museum on campus and as a teaching assistant for the Chemistry Department. She enjoys reading, camping, hiking, and sports. Alison plans to pursue a graduate degree from BYU in Zoology.

Takala, Shannon L.
Barry M. Goldwater
1998-1999
Shannon is from Los Alamos, New Mexico. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in Zoology with a minor in Chemistry

Tanzie, Christopher P.
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
2006-2007
Christopher has moved around his whole life but is most recently from Kansas and Layton, Utah. He graduated in Neuroscience with a minor in Music. His preparation for the MSTP fellowship began 2 before he applied and mentored research was a huge and essential part of that process. Christopher made good use of his time at BYU. In addition to research he tutored, served with the Boy Scouts, worked as a recording musician, was a lifeguard, and taught MTC teacher. However, his most memorable experience was touring with Wind Symphony in Scandinavia.

Thompson, Douglas Glen
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1997-1998
Douglas is from Kaysville, Utah. He served in the California Sacramento Mission, and graduated from BYU in 1995 in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics and an excellent academic record. He also received his Master's degree in August of 1997. His graduate research experience is extensive and has allowed him to work in the Microwave Earth Remote Sensing Laboratory and the Advanced Combustion Engineering Research Center at BYU. He is a member of Eta Kappa Nu (Electrical Engineering), Tau Beta Pi (Engineering), and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies. Douglas plans to pursue a Ph.D. from BYU in Electrical Engineering.

Thomson, Scott Lester
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2000-2001
Scott received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from BYU in Mechanical Engineering. He is from Rexburg, Idaho, and went on to study at Virginia Polytech Institute and State University.

Thorpe, Matthew Patrick
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
2006-2007
Matthew is a native of Orangeville, Utah and double majored in Nutritional Science and Marriage, Family & Human Development. Research played an essential role in receiving the MSTP. He plans to enter academic medicine to teach and do research. He received two ORCAs and completed his honors thesis. Publications: Thorpe, M.P., Washburn, I., Cranford, E., Bennett, C., & Day, R. (2005). "Remember the past, remember the future." Poster presentation. Utah Council on Family Relations, Logan, UT: 10 April. Thorpe, M.P. "BYU Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities," 2004 and 2005.

Tillman, Benjamin Farr
Fulbright
1997-1998
Benjamin is from Newberry, Florida, and he served in the Argentina Bahia Blanca Mission. He received his Bachelor's (1993) and his Master's (1994) degrees in Geography. As an undergraduate student, he also minored in Spanish. Benjamin went to Honduras with the Fulbright Scholarship to research, "The Miskito Moravian Cultural Landscape."

Tingle, Rebecca
Rhodes
1992
Rebecca Thomas Tingle had earned a BA in English from the University of Utah and was pursuing a master's degree in English at BYU when she became the first female student to receive a Rhodes Scholarship. After studying Old English at Oxford for three years, she worked on BYU's admissions committee. She now lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where she is raising her 10-month-old daughter and writing fiction. Tingle has completed her first young-adult, historical-fiction novel, Aethelfloed, and is working on a second, Aelfwyn. Reflecting on her career as a writer and mother, she says, "My life seems very good right now."

Toone, Jordan
Jack Kent Cooke
2005-2006
Jordan is from American Fork, Utah, and graduated with University Honors in August 2004 in Near Eastern Studies and Linguistics with a minor in Language & Computers. He is from a family of ten people with three brothers and four sisters. Although he is 6'3", everyone in his family except his mother and little sister are as tall, or taller than he is. Jordan served a mission for the Church in London, England. During his first semester at BYU, he took an Ancient and Modern Middle East course from Dr. Marilyn Higbee-Walker, a visiting professor from Columbia University. "She triggered in me a deep appreciation of the Middle East scholarship," said Jordan. "Her engaging scholarship and provoking questions often led me to walk straight to the library after class and read." Another inspirational professor was Jordan's senior seminar professor, Dr. Arnold Green, who has spent many years personally collecting and translating documents from Jerusalem's Islamic Court Archives. Fascinated with the work Dr. Green was doing, Jordan began assisting him. For his honors thesis, "Legitimacy and Notables in Ottoman Jerusalem: A Case Study of Bayt al-Dajani Using Waqfs and Marriage Records," Jordan conducted a socioeconomic case study of a Muslim family from 17th Century Palestine using Islamic court records (awqaf) and marriage records. Through his research, Jordan gained unique insights into the historical and socioeconomic make-up of modern-day Palestine. With the assistance of a NSEP/NFLI Scholarship, Jordan and his wife, Lindsay, lived in Cairo, Egypt where Jordan studied at the American University of Cairo's Center for Arabic Studies Abroad (CASA). Through this experience, Jordan said he refined his Arabic proficiency and "explored the Arab world through unparalleled first-hand experience." While in Egypt, Jordan also witnessed the birth of his first son, Jacob--an experience so remarkable, he said, "it literally transcended my ability to describe through language." Jordan read for an MPhil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford and is continuing his graduate studies at Columbia University. Following his graduate training, Jordan will pursue a law degree, focusing on international law and Islamic endowment law. Jordan intends to use his training to further diplomatic relations between the Arab world and the West, as a diplomat or legal advisor within the Middle East.

Turley, Patrick
Daughters of the American Revolution-Enid Hall Griswold Scholarship
2008-2009
Patrick Turley, a native of Provo, UT, is double-majoring in Economics and Mathematics. So far in his undergraduate career, Patrick has done research in physics and economics, been involved in service and community activities, and was a TA. One of Patrick's best experiences at BYU so far was participating in Freshman Academy, both as a freshman and as a mentor. He says, "FA really adjusted the way that I thought about my education. I think of it less as a race to put as many feathers in you cap as possible and more as a chance to develop talents and have experiences that you would not be able to have otherwise." Eventually, Patrick would like to pursue a PhD in Economics and become a university professor.

Vaisey, Stephen Bradley
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2003-2004
Stephen is from Fairport, New York. He graduated from BYU in both Sociology and French, and he began preparing for the NSF Fellowship in the fall of 2002. His research project on versions of the Narcissus Myth, funded by the BYU ORCA Scholarship, allowed him to discover an unknown connection between the French author Andre Gide and Norse mythology. He felt that this research and his high GRE scores are what made him competitive for this fellowship. As an undergraduate, Stephen enjoyed teaching assistant mentoring with Professors Scott Sprenger (French Department) and Tim Heaton (Sociology Department). Stephen said, "Scott taught me how to think like a scholar and Tim showed me the ropes in my future vocation." Stephen has also written the introductory chapter to a book about Mormon sociology, which will be published by Signature Books next year. He is married to Rebekah (Estrada) Vaisey, also a BYU alumnus, and enjoys playing the guitar and raising his two children, Delia and Milo. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology at UNC-Chapel Hill, and he plans to ultimately become a professor of Sociology at a research university.

Wallace, Jon William
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1998-1999
Jon is from Northglenn, Colorado, and he served in the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and minors in Music and Mathematics. He earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from BYU in 2002.

Walton, David Brian
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1998-1999
David is from Orem, Utah. He served in the Montana Billings Mission and graduated with University Honors in Mathematics from BYU in 1996. He is married to Heather Walton, and he was a tutor and a volunteer lecturer at workshops in mathematics at the University of Arizona. David chose to pursue a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at the University of Arizona.

Ward, Estee
National Security Education Program
2008-2009
Ward, a sophomore who is also majoring in Middle Eastern studies/Arabic, will take advanced courses in Arabic at the University of Jordan during spring and summer terms this year. Having previously lived in a predominantly Muslim country, Ward says she has a different perspective than the one painted by the media regarding the so-called "chasm" between the West and Islam. "Ultimately I hope to be in a position to bridge the misunderstanding between these two cultures. While my studies in Provo will provide the central framework for my depth of knowledge, my study abroad to Jordan will allow me to learn about the Middle East on a microcosmic, first-hand level," said Ward. "This study abroad experience is essential to my education, and I am grateful the NSEP award made it possible."

Washburn, Adam
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2008-2009
Adam, a 2006 graduate in Chemistry, is from Bolingbrook, Illinois. As an undergraduate, he conducted research with Dr. Adam Woolley and received an ORCA grant to study DNA-templated nanowires. Adam also did a summer research project with Dr. Roger Harrison studying cadmium selenide nanoparticle microsphere. After his freshman year, Adam had a summer internship at Argonne National Laboratory where he was able to study fuel reforming catalysts for use in automotive fuel cells. Adam is also a talented musician and plays the piano and the flute. He has mastered one particular piece of music where he plays the flute with the left hand and the piano with the right hand (a favorite at talent shows). In the future, Adam plans to complete his PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Waugh, Caleb
Tau Beta Pi
2007-2008
Caleb, a double major in Electrical Engineering and Philosophy with a minor in Mathematics, is from Grand Junction, CO. He was well prepared to apply for the Tau Beta Pi Scholarship because he kept his GPA high (he is ranked 2nd in his class), had strong letters of recommendation, participated in active service both inside and outside the Tau Beta Pi organization, served as president of BYU's chapter of Tau Beta Pi, and had a diverse background and well rounded approach to his education. As an undergraduate, Caleb volunteered with the TOPS (Tutor Outreach to Provo Schools), participated in the BYU Honors Program and BYU Philosophy Club, wasa judge for the Central Utah Science and Engineering Fari, and was the Editor of Aporia (BYU's undergraduate philosophy journal). After finishing his undergraduate education, he plans on pursuing a joint graduate degree in Law and Business Administration and hopes to become involved with issues relating to outsourcing and globalization in the engineering profession. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, backpacking, mountain climbing, playing basketball, listening to jazz, cooking, and spending time with family and loved ones. Interesting fact: he barely passed high school algebra, and wasn't accepted the first time he applied to BYU.

Wayment, Adam Taylor
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2005-2006
Adam, from Burley, Idaho, graduated in Computer Science. He is currently studying Linguistics at John Hopkins University.

Webb, Gregory G.
Fulbright
2000-2001
Gregory served a mission in the Sweden Stockholm Mission. He is from Pleasant Grove, Utah, and he graduated in Humanities with a minor in Scandinavian from BYU in 1994. In 1998, Gregory received his Master's degree in Comparative Literature from BYU. With the Fulbright scholarship, he was able to do research in Sweden.

Welch, John S.
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
1996-1997
John is from Provo, Utah. He served in the Germany Frankfurt Mission and graduated in 1995 with University Honors in Molecular Biology. John went on to study Biomedical Science at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

Wells, Gregory L.
Phi Kappa Phi
2002-2003
Gregory is from Mountain Home, Idaho. He served a mission in the Brazil Salvador South Mission and graduated with University Honors in Zoology with a minor in Management.

Wendt, Jeremy Daniel
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2004-2005
Jeremy, from Los Angeles, California, Jeremy graduated Magna Cum Laude from BYU in Computer Science. As an undergraduate, he worked as a TA for six different classes and as a research assistant for Dr. William Barrett in Image Processing. He was able to present the research he conducted at the Second Annual Family History and Technology Workshop held at BYU. He is currently working on his graduate degree in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and researching proper rendering of layered media (such as paint). The results of his research will be published this summer in an ACM Conference: NonPhotorealistic Animation and Rendering. His work on accelerated shadow rendering on graphics hardware is also being considered for publication. Jeremy and his wife, Heather, have one son, John. Descriptions of research: http://gamma.cs.unc.edu/impasto http://gamma.cs.unc.edu/ccsv Publication:W. Baxter, J. Wendt, and M. Lin. "IMPaSTo: A Realistic, Interactive Model for Paint." In the proceedings of NPAR 2004, The 3rd International Symposium on Non-Photorealistic Animation and Rendering, (Annecy, France) June 7-9 2004.

Wesemann, Duane Robert
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
1999-2000
Duane graduated from BYU in Molecular Biology. He is from Bountiful, Utah, and he served in the Brazil Recife Mission. As an undergraduate student, he received the Garth L. Lee Teaching Award three times because he was such an outstanding T.A. in the Chemistry Department. Duane is married to the former Sandra Cluff, and he is currently attending the University of Alabama School of Medicine, with a focus on immunology and neuroimmunology. His graduate goal is to "define new therapeutic targets to treat chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases." Duane has several publications including the BYU Undergraduate Research Journal. He enjoys flying planes, oil painting, fly fishing, and outdoor recreation.

Westover, Brandon
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
1997-1998
Brandon is from Temecula, California. He served in the Taiwan Taipei Mission and graduated in Applied Physics. He went on to study Physics at Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri. His research goal "is to achieve a rigorous, coherent description of the computations involved in mammalian vision." Brandon has published an abstract of his research in the 2001 "Computational Neuroscience Meeting."

Westover, Kenneth Dale
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
1999-2000
Kenneth has graduated with University Honors in Biochemistry with a minor in Music. He is from California, and served in the Japan Fukuoka Mission. Kenneth researched RNA polymerase II at Stanford School of Medicine.

Westover, Tara
Gates
2007-2008
Tara Westover grew up in the tiny town of Clifton, Idaho where her family has resided for five generations. She has developed a passion for philosophy and history. She is an Honors Student and participated in the Summer Honors Program at Cambridge last year. From that experience, Tara knew that she wanted to attend Cambridge for her master's degree this fall. Now that she has earned a Gates Scholarship, Tara will begin her MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History at Cambridge. During her years at BYU, she has been an officer in Phi Alpha Theta, a student editor for "The Thetean," and a teaching and research assistant. She also participated in the Model European Union Convention in Seattle. In the future, Tara wants to gain work experience and then become a university professor.

Wheeler, Dean Richard
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
1996-1997
Dean graduated last April in Chemical Engineering from BYU. As an undergraduate, he did research at the Biotechnology Process Engineering Center at MIT. During his research experience at MIT, he studied the use of polymer interaction with cellular growth factors. Dean also worked on research projects at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, where he used voltammetry to characterize surface modifications of platinum electrodes. Results from Dean's research at Brookhaven were published in the "Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry." He also designed a process flow diagram for segments of specialty gas production plants at Bartholomew Consulting Services, Inc. located in Provo. Furthermore, he has conducted research in the Chemical Engineering Department on writing a computer program for simulation of polar molecules. Dean was an Ezra Taft Benson Scholar and is a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. He attended graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley where he studied Electro-Chemical Engineering.

Wheeler, M. Bryan
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2005-2006
Bryan Wheeler comes from Houston, Texas. He graduated in Computer Engineering. He attributes his award to all of his undergraduate experiences outside of the classroom. He feels that there is a fundamental difference between the activities you are "passionately involved in and the things that you [do] simply to pad a resume." His most significant research experience was with Dr. Ware on multispectral imaging that would help in enhancing and recovering erased text from historic documents called palimpsests. During his time at BYU, Bryan enjoyed his participation in the Vietnamese Students Association and the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

Whelan, Michael
Fulbright
2006-2007
Michael is from Overland Park, Missouri and majoring in History. He admits he had difficulty in choosing that major. Career options in humanities and social sciences can be slim. However, Michael feels that pursuing coursework that he truly enjoyed was not only worth it, but his best undergraduate experience. He also feels that getting to know professors and seeking internship opportunities were some of things that helped him be competitive for this grant. Besides coming back as a returning student and helping to take care of his three kids, Michael completed an internship and participated in various academic clubs to round out his undergraduate experience.

Whipple, Kristine
Fulbright
2007-2008
Kristine hails from Bountiful, Utah. She majored in Anthropology and minored in Humanities and Latin American Studies. She believes that her experience in preparing research proposals and conversations with past Fulbright applicants helped her be more competitive. As an undergraduate, Kristine was involved with International Field Studies, the Anthropology Club, and SALAS. She also earned two ORCA grants, presented her research at the Inquiry Conference, the American Evaluation Association and was published in the Journal of Inquiry and Tableu. After completing her Fulbright project of studying the affects of using traditional art, such as lace-weaving, as a living wage in Paraguay, Kristine plans on pursuing a Masters in Public Administration and International Relations, eventually working with women's cooperatives or artisan groups around the world.

White, Keith A.
Fulbright
1996-1997
Keith is from Auburn, Washington. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from BYU. He also minored in Mathematics and served his mission in Vienna, Austria. His Fulbright Scholarship allowed him to research "machining software development for surgical template fabrication" in Germany. Keith was awarded the National Science Foundation Fellowship in 1995 and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi. He enjoys the outdoors, sports, and camping.

Wight, Kelly
Phi Eta Sigma
2007-2008
Kelly, a nursing student, is from Pocatello, Idaho. She first learned about the Phi Eta Sigma scholarship at the Phi Eta Sigma Induction Ceremony in 2005. Since that time, she has served as co-president, president and senior advisor for Phi Eta Sigma which she feels when coupled with her commitment to academic excellence prepared her to apply for the scholarship. As an undergraduate student she has been involved in the Phi Eta Sigma Leadership Council, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars Leadership Council, been the Vice President of Utah Student Nurses' Association and a member of the Student Nursing Association, and was a Teaching Assistant for the BYU Anatomy Lab and a volunteer at UVRMC and at local elementary schools. One of her very best undergraduate experiences has been teaching in the BYU Anatomy Lab. Kelly says, "It has been such a pleasure teaching fellow students and getting them excited about the beautiful creation of the human body." She also says that being involved with Phi Eta Sigma and National Society of Collegiate Scholars has given her the opportunity to work with many outstanding professors (Dr. Howard Gray) and students here at BYU, as well as travel the US to meet other collegiate students and be inspired by their achievements and future endeavors.

Wight, Kelly
Phi Eta Sigma
2008-2009
Kelly, a nursing student from Pocatello, Idaho, not only received an undergraduate Phi Eta Sigma Scholarship, but also received a second undergraduate award from Phi Eta Sigma. She has served as co-president, president and senior advisor for Phi Eta Sigma which she feels when coupled with her commitment to academic excellence prepared her to apply for these scholarships.

Wikle, Brian Scott
Institute for Humane Studies
2002-2003
Brian is from Monticello, Utah, and he served in the Illinois Peoria Mission. He graduated in both Russian and Economics at BYU in 1999. He received his Master's from BYU in Public Policy in 2002. Brian is married to Jocelyn, also a Humane Studies recipient, and together, they earned their Ph.D.s at the University of Texas at Austin.

Wikle, Jocelyn Smith
Institute for Humane Studies
2002-2003
Jocelyn is from Orem, Utah. She graduated from BYU in Music and Economics and earned her Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin with her husband, Brian, who is also a Humane Studies recipient.

Wilkinson, David
Rhodes
1961
For David L. Wilkinson, a BA in history marked the beginning of an intense interest in law and government. After receiving a law degree from Oxford and a JD from the University of California at Berkeley, Wilkinson began practicing corporate law. In 1972 he was appointed an assistant to the Utah Attorney General, and he later became Chief Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney and Utah Attorney General. Wilkinson authored legislation that strengthened Utah's laws against pornography and dissolved more than 40,000 shell corporations. He has taught at BYU's law school and worked for the Hughes Corporation.

Williams, Brice J.
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
2001-2002
Brice is from Belleville, Illinois. He graduated with University Honors in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry from BYU in 2001. He worked with Dr. Allan Judd on his honors thesis and received an ORCA Grant. Brice went on to attend the Medical University of South Carolina. He enjoys church activities, dirt biking, flying planes, and surfing. His future plans are to "stay in academic medicine and try to combine research and practicing medicine, and definitely stay in the warm climate areas (sorry all you mountain lovers)." Brice has presented at the Society for Endocrinology Meeting (Denver, CO 2001), Neuroscience (Orlando, FL 2002), and at the MSTP Research Day (2002). Additionally, he has the following in press: "Ovarian Hormones and Cognition in the Aged Female Rat II: Progesterone Reverses the Cognitive Enhancing Effects of Ovairectomy.

Willis, David M.
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
1997-1998
David is from North Andover, Massachusetts. He served in the Korea Seoul West Mission. He graduated in 1996 with University Honors in Molecular Biology. After graduation, David enrolled in the Molecular Cell Biology Program at Washington University School of Medicine. He recently completed his thesis entitled, "Regulation of Osteocalcin Gene Expression and Osteogenesis by a Novel Ku Antigen Transcription Factor Complex." David has several published abstracts and has been published in the "American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Annual Meeting" for 2002, 2001, 2000, and twice in 1999. David also received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for 1995.

Wingate, David
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2004-2005
David earned his Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, and he is from Los Alamos, New Mexico. Describing his undergraduate experience, he said, "Dr. Peterson took me under his wing and got me started researching as a young undergraduate. Dr. Peterson is a man who 'casts his bread upon the waters'--he was always building me up, and helping me discover my potential. As a mentor, he was outstanding--brilliant, kind, patient, always teaching, and solidly centered in the gospel. As a friend, he was outstanding--always thinking of us (his students), always taking interest in all aspects of our lives. It was because of him that I was privileged to get involved with research projects as a young undergraduate, which was the single most important factor making me competitive." To Dr. Peterson's credit, David now has two years of undergraduate research experience and one year of graduate research experience. Because he began researching early, he learned how to properly conduct research and write the results in a compelling way, which resulted in him getting a lot of publications including an award-winning publication. Dr. Peterson and Dr. Seppi (his successor) offered David complete freedom to pursue his own research interests. This incredible opportunity allowed him to synthesize and solve problems that he thought were tractable, relevant, and interesting. So, when David decided to apply for the NSF Fellowship, he already knew how to plan and execute a research agenda by presenting a strong research proposal, discoursing intelligently about it, and honestly claiming that it was entirely his own thinking. David loves teaching and research, and although his future plans are indeterminate, he will be pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Michigan in the fall. After that, he may work, look for a research position, or teach at a university (maybe even BYU).

Wittwer, Jonathan Wayne
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2000-2001
Jonathan is from Montana and he served in the Australia Sydney North Mission. He received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from BYU.

Woolley, Steven Mark
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program
2005-2006
Steven is from Orem, Utah. He recently graduated in both Computer Science and Bioinformatics from BYU. He will be studying Computational Biology at the University of Texas. He was also warded the NSF: Honorable Mention for 2004-2005

Wyatt, Jamie
Phi Eta Sigma-The William L. Robinson Endowed Scholarship
2003-2004
Jamie is from Lenexa, Kansas. She earned her bachelor's degree in Social Work with a minor in Spanish. She was very involved in both the BYU Chapter of Phi Eta Sigma and other activities on campus. As an undergraduate, she volunteered at the Student Accessibility Center, Oakridge Elementary School, and Utah State Hospital. Furthermore, she was a mentor for the Utah Foster Care Foundation and was involved as a Bachelors of Social Work Student Association student representative for the Utah NASW Executive Board. Jamie also worked as a research assistant and has been an RHA. She received an ORCA grant to complete an exploratory research study on the attitudes and experiences of adoptive parents in the United States who had participated in an open international adoption with the Republic of Marshall Islands. Her best undergraduate experience was her internship placement at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center where she worked with surgery and cancer patients. She was able to put into practice what she had learned and found that working with cancer patients, though difficult, was the most rewarding and enlightening. Jamie plans on completing a dual Masters degree in Social Work and Public Health. In the future, she wants to work in a clinical setting with lower income families and children, working on life skills, grief therapy, and other associated issues.

Yoragson, Andrew C.
Golden Key Research Travel Grant
2002-2003
Andy is from Plain City, Utah. He graduated in Anthropology with a Sociocultural emphasis and a minor in Music in 2004. He received the Golden Key Research Travel Grant.

York, Nathan R.
National Institutes of Health-Graduate Partnerships Program
2001-2002
Nathan is from Las Vegas, Nevada, and he served in the Mexico Hermosillo Mission. He graduated in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry from BYU in April 2001. He and his wife, Jenifer, have moved to Texas and Nathan is currently attending the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

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