Spotlight
Academics: Top Scholars
USF students win top scholarships to pursue their academic goals.
| USF News
Goldwater Scholar Jean Weatherwax, a USF electrical engineering major.
Photo by Aimee Blodgett | USF News
Electrical engineering major Jean Weatherwax was awarded a Goldwater Scholarship to support her studies and research for the 2011-2012 academic year. The prestigious and highly-competitive scholarship, which pays tribute to Senator Barry M. Goldwater, is awarded to students planning to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering.
This summer, Weatherwax will intern with NASA, working on the Mars rover project. She plans to pursue a doctorate in electrical engineering, specializing in bioelectronics and continuing to research and teach nanotechnology as her career.
Four USF students were awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships to act as ambassadors from the United States and share their knowledge of the English language. The Fulbright program is the flagship U.S. international exchange program.
- Alison Billias, who graduated in the spring with a master's degree in elementary education, will teach English in Cypress.
- Marty Evenson, who received his bachelor's degree in international studies in the spring, as well as certificates in Modern Western European Studies and Film Studies, will teach English in Bulgaria.
- Lauren Shumate, a 2010 Honors College graduate, who is now a graduate student majoring in political science, and assistant coach for the women's tennis team, will teach English in Serbia.
- Ryan Walsh, an Honors College spring graduate with a bachelor's degree in history, and the Asia Programs coordinator at Education Abroad and an assistant in the USF Confucius Institute, will teach English in South Korea.
Two USF students were awarded United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Critical Language Scholarships for summer study abroad. The scholarships send students to intensive language institutes in-country to learn one of 13 critical languages.
- Ginger Johnson, a doctoral student in applied anthropology, will study Arabic in Tunisia.
- Demelza Hays, an international business major in the Honors College, will study Punjabi in India.
One USF student, information technology major Todd Mitchell, was awarded a SMART scholarship. The scholarship program supports undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in science technology, engineering and mathematics. Mitchell will work with the Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va.