Illustration by Corey BrightTamara Imam - Managing Editormanaging@insideuab.com
A record 28 UAB students won competitive merit-based national scholarships to fund their endeavors in research, study abroad or graduate school.
Among the scholarship recipients, UAB boasts a Boren Scholar, a Marshall Scholar, a Goldwater Scholar and two National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows, in addition to a number of honorable mentions.
Courtney Walker, a senior neuroscience major, is one of three Goldwater scholarship recipients from the state of Alabama and the lone scholar from UAB. Aidan L. O’Beirne and Hriday Bhambhvani were recognized as honorable mentions by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Excellence in Education Program.
According to the program, the purpose of the Goldwater Foundation is to “provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue research careers in these fields.”
The program awarded 252 scholarships for the 2016-2017 academic year to college sophomores and juniors across the country. The prize covers the cost of the winner’s tuition, fees, books and housing up to $7,500 a year, according to the program’s website.
Walker sought the coveted Goldwater prize as early as her freshman year, and says that her friends were influential in her decision to apply.
“I first heard about the Goldwater scholarship when I was a freshman, and I thought I could be a good fit for what they were looking for, so I kept it on my radar,” Walker said. “[...] Initially, I wasn’t going to apply because I didn’t think I would stand out in the applicant pool, but after one of my friends told me I should apply, I decided to go for it, regardless of what I thought the outcome would be.”
She also credits the Office of National and International Fellowships and Scholarships for her winning the award.
“Dr. Michelle Cook helped extensively with revisions to my application. I don’t think I would have been selected for the Goldwater without all of her help. Dr. Ashley Kuntz and Dr. Joe March also helped me with my application as well,” Walker said.
Armed with the funds provided by the Goldwater award, Walker intends to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience upon graduating. Her long-term career goals include conducting research on mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia, the latter of which she is already researching on under the mentorship of Rosy Roberts, Ph.D.
“When I found out I was selected as a scholar, I was shocked. I wasn’t expecting to be selected, and seeing my name on the list of scholars for the state of Alabama was surreal,” Walker said. “I was in lab when I found out, so I shared the news with my mentor, Dr. Rosy Roberts, and she was really excited too. Then I called my parents and my sister, and they were probably happier than I was.”
Additionally, a record 21 students from UAB were accepted into the Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Global Initiative University network, a program founded in 2007 by former president Bill Clinton to engage college students in addressing modern global challenges.
Students from across the United States came to the annual conference in April, which was held at the University of California, Berkeley, armed with “Commitments to Action”—comprehensive, innovative plans for forging global change in one of five focus areas: education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation and public health.
Mallack Jaber and Aseel Dib, both neuroscience and pre-med students, were among the 21 students from UAB who attended the conference. The duo’s Commitment to Action initially focused on targeting Islamophobia in Birmingham through a lecture series that would bring in speakers both of different faiths and no faith, but Jaber says they are taking a different route entirely after attending lectures at the conference.
“I went to the ones focusing on refugee education and human rights sorts of things. The main point of the conference is to build connections with people that can help you with your commitment to action,” Jaber said. “Aseel and I became really interesting in refugee education so we’re changing our commitment completely and focusing on that. We haven’t put it together though because of schoolwork and MCATs [Medical College Admission Tests] so after everything hopefully we’ll put it together.”
According to Jaber, UAB provided her and the other CGIU fellows with at least some funding for their projects.
Michelle Cook, Ph.D., the assistant director for the Office of National and International Fellowships and Scholarships, attributes the number of scholarship winners and CGIU fellows in part to increased outreach to students.
“UAB’s students are incredibly competitive for national awards, and the more students we have applying for awards, the more winners we will see,” Cook said. “This was also the first year the Office of National and International Fellowships and Scholarships had two people, which allowed us to do more outreach than ever before to make students aware of fellowship opportunities.”
Cook says that she and her colleague Ashley Kuntz, Ph.D., help students, sometimes through communicating with professors and advisors, find programs that align with their interests and career goals and then guide them through the application process, from brainstorming and working through personal statements to polishing resumes.
“Most often, students don’t self-identify as being good potential applicants,” Cook said. “Getting a nudge from a professor they know or from someone like me can be helpful.”
A record 28 UAB students won competitive merit-based national scholarships to fund their endeavors in research, study abroad or graduate school.
Among the scholarship recipients, UAB boasts a Boren Scholar, a Marshall Scholar, a Goldwater Scholar and two National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows, in addition to a number of honorable mentions.
Courtney Walker, a senior neuroscience major, is one of three Goldwater scholarship recipients from the state of Alabama and the lone scholar from UAB. Aidan L. O’Beirne and Hriday Bhambhvani were recognized as honorable mentions by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Excellence in Education Program.
According to the program, the purpose of the Goldwater Foundation is to “provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue research careers in these fields.”
The program awarded 252 scholarships for the 2016-2017 academic year to college sophomores and juniors across the country. The prize covers the cost of the winner’s tuition, fees, books and housing up to $7,500 a year, according to the program’s website.
Walker sought the coveted Goldwater prize as early as her freshman year, and says that her friends were influential in her decision to apply.
“I first heard about the Goldwater scholarship when I was a freshman, and I thought I could be a good fit for what they were looking for, so I kept it on my radar,” Walker said. “[...] Initially, I wasn’t going to apply because I didn’t think I would stand out in the applicant pool, but after one of my friends told me I should apply, I decided to go for it, regardless of what I thought the outcome would be.”
She also credits the Office of National and International Fellowships and Scholarships for her winning the award.
“Dr. Michelle Cook helped extensively with revisions to my application. I don’t think I would have been selected for the Goldwater without all of her help. Dr. Ashley Kuntz and Dr. Joe March also helped me with my application as well,” Walker said.
Armed with the funds provided by the Goldwater award, Walker intends to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience upon graduating. Her long-term career goals include conducting research on mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia, the latter of which she is already researching on under the mentorship of Rosy Roberts, Ph.D.
“When I found out I was selected as a scholar, I was shocked. I wasn’t expecting to be selected, and seeing my name on the list of scholars for the state of Alabama was surreal,” Walker said. “I was in lab when I found out, so I shared the news with my mentor, Dr. Rosy Roberts, and she was really excited too. Then I called my parents and my sister, and they were probably happier than I was.”
Additionally, a record 21 students from UAB were accepted into the Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Global Initiative University network, a program founded in 2007 by former president Bill Clinton to engage college students in addressing modern global challenges.
Students from across the United States came to the annual conference in April, which was held at the University of California, Berkeley, armed with “Commitments to Action”—comprehensive, innovative plans for forging global change in one of five focus areas: education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation and public health.
Mallack Jaber and Aseel Dib, both neuroscience and pre-med students, were among the 21 students from UAB who attended the conference. The duo’s Commitment to Action initially focused on targeting Islamophobia in Birmingham through a lecture series that would bring in speakers both of different faiths and no faith, but Jaber says they are taking a different route entirely after attending lectures at the conference.
“I went to the ones focusing on refugee education and human rights sorts of things. The main point of the conference is to build connections with people that can help you with your commitment to action,” Jaber said. “Aseel and I became really interesting in refugee education so we’re changing our commitment completely and focusing on that. We haven’t put it together though because of schoolwork and MCATs [Medical College Admission Tests] so after everything hopefully we’ll put it together.”
According to Jaber, UAB provided her and the other CGIU fellows with at least some funding for their projects.
Michelle Cook, Ph.D., the assistant director for the Office of National and International Fellowships and Scholarships, attributes the number of scholarship winners and CGIU fellows in part to increased outreach to students.
“UAB’s students are incredibly competitive for national awards, and the more students we have applying for awards, the more winners we will see,” Cook said. “This was also the first year the Office of National and International Fellowships and Scholarships had two people, which allowed us to do more outreach than ever before to make students aware of fellowship opportunities.”
Cook says that she and her colleague Ashley Kuntz, Ph.D., help students, sometimes through communicating with professors and advisors, find programs that align with their interests and career goals and then guide them through the application process, from brainstorming and working through personal statements to polishing resumes.
“Most often, students don’t self-identify as being good potential applicants,” Cook said. “Getting a nudge from a professor they know or from someone like me can be helpful.”
