In Cornell's first year of participation in the Morris K. Udall Scholarship competition, four of the university's undergraduate students have earned the fellowship awards -- more than at any other academic institution in the country.
The four winners from Cornell are: Natalie L. Bridgeman, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences; and William K. Cornwell, a sophomore, Benjamin A. Perry, a junior, and Karen Spiegel, a junior, all in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
"To have four Cornell students win such a prestigious award is quite impressive and a real honor," said Susan Murphy, Cornell vice president for student and academic services. "It is very rewarding to see their hard work and many hours of study and commitment recognized in this way."
The 1998 Udall Scholarship announcement tops another excellent year for Cornell undergraduate students competing in national scholarship competitions. For the second year in a row three Cornell students won Marshall Scholarships, and for the first time ever, all four Cornell candidates for the Goldwater Scholarship were chosen as winners. Last year 11 Cornell students received 13 prestigious fellowships coordinated through the Cornell fellowships office. This year 12 students won 12 awards. A total of 42 students and recent graduates represented Cornell in eight national scholarship competitions this academic year.
Udall Scholarships for 1998-99 were awarded to 75 students from 34 states and Puerto Rico. Established by Congress in 1992 to honor Congressman Morris K. Udall, the scholarships recognize U.S. students with excellent academic records and demonstrated interest in careers in the fields of environmental public policy, health care and tribal public policy. Scholarships are awarded to students who will be juniors or seniors during the 1998-99 academic year and cover eligible academic expenses up to $5,000 for the year.
Natalie L. Bridgeman of Santa Cruz, Calif., is a government major with a concentration in international relations and a focus on environmental policy. This past semester, she was enrolled in the Cornell in Washington program.
She has been extensively involved in public service since a young age, working on social justice and environmental issues. At Cornell, Bridgeman founded and co-coordinates the Food Distribution Project, which brings surplus Cornell dining hall food to area soup kitchens, and she works as a Cornell Public Service Center peer adviser. Her other activities include being a member of the Cornell Greens; the Leadership Development Committee; and The Touchtones, a Cornell women's a cappella group.
Bridgeman's work experience includes writing for the Center for International Environmental Law and the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development. She recently completed a thesis on environmental reform at the World Bank and Congress.
She has been honored as a Cornell Tradition fellow; a national Michael Schwerner Activist Award winner; a Conable Scholarship recipient; and a member of the Mortar Board National Honor Society and the Dean's List.
Her plans include earning a graduate degree in environmental law and a career in environmental policy, either through the private sector (in a policy-oriented organization) or in public office.
William Cornwell of San Anselmo, Calif., is a natural resources major and a research assistant in natural resources. His current focus is wetland ecology, and he has begun research for his senior thesis on the role of mycorrhizal fungi in maintaining plant biodiversity in wetlands. This summer he plans to work in Oregon on a watershed restoration project with the U.S. Forest Service.
Cornwell's public service activities have included participation in Cornell's Dilmun Hill Student Farm, which, among other things, helps area children grow produce for sale in their communities; working in a rural village in the Dominican Republic for Ecopartners, a non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable international development; and volunteering with the Costa Rican National Park Service.
He is a Cornell Tradition fellow and a member of the Dean's List.
Benjamin A. Perry of Omaha, Neb., is a natural resource management major with a focus in resource economics. His career plans involve working on environmental policy, probably in the non-profit sector. After graduation he plans to work in that area, but at some point will pursue a master's degree in policy or environmental economics.
Perry's activities have included being vice president for internal operations for the Cornell Student Assembly and a representative of that body from agriculture and life sciences. He also is a member of Cornell Greens and the Society for Natural Resource Conservation.
Perry worked as a government relations intern with the Nature Conservancy on a conservation tax incentives program for inclusion in the 1997 federal tax reform bill and he completed contingent valuation analyses for the New York Parks and Recreation Agency.
He is a Cornell Tradition fellow and a winner of a Class of 1886 Public Oratory Award from the Cornell Department of Communication.
Karen L. Spiegel of Jericho, N.Y., is studying environmental and resource economics. A teaching assistant in the Department of Agricultural, Resource and Managerial Economics, she plans to attend law school and specialize in environmental and land-use law.
Spiegel's activities have included being the chairperson of the Cornell University Program Board; a member of the Ursus environmental magazine editorial board; and a volunteer for Into the Streets, a community service project of the Public Service Center.
She has worked as an intern with the New York City Parks Department and the Nassau County Planning Commission. She is a Dean's Scholar and a member of the Dean's List; a member of the Kappa Omicron Nu and Golden Key national honor societies; and a winner of a Dean of Students Commendation and a Robert Byrd Scholarship.
In commenting on Cornell students' continued success in prestigious undergraduate fellowships, Beth Fiori, interim fellowship coordinator, said: "Behind each student stands at least three writers of letters of recommendation, a faculty endorsement committee and the counsel of faculty and staff advisers. Competing successfully for prestigious national fellowships requires, first and foremost, extraordinary students, but the concerted and sustained efforts of Cornell's faculty on behalf of these students increase their chances."
Application to prestigious fellowships such as the Udall, Rhodes, Marshall, Churchill, Luce, Truman and Goldwater require university endorsement and go through the fellowship coordinator. This year's endorsement committee for the Udall Scholarship included William Crepet, professor and chair of the L.H. Bailey Hortorium; James Lassoie, professor and chair of the Department of Natural Resources; and Jane Mt. Pleasant, associate professor and director of the American Indian Program.
For more information on the Udall Scholarship, visit the web site http://www.act.org/udall/ . Cornell faculty members are encouraged to suggest possible applicants for the Udall to the fellowship coordinator. Students who are interested in applying should contact Beth Fiori at btf1@cornell.edu or 255-6923.
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