Ding Kong, a senior majoring in natural resources in Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has won a 2007 Morris K. Udall Scholarship in recognition of his work and career plans regarding the environment.

Kong is among 80 undergraduate students nationwide to receive this year's academic awards of up to $5,000 from the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation. The foundation's programs honor the late U.S. congressman from Arizona and are designed to assist students with excellent academic records and a demonstrated interest in careers in the fields of environmental policy, health care and tribal public policy.

Since 1998, Cornell students have been awarded 25 Udall scholarships.

Kong, who is from Granada Hills, Calif., has a special interest in the environment and sustainability, and hopes, he said, to "be an educator in public high schools to teach and empower youth about the environment, their community and how it all relates to politics and society."

Kong has been a student leader of the Environmental Justice Working Group since 2005 and a founding member and president of the Sustainability Hub. He also serves in leadership roles with the Living Sculpture Project and the Society for Natural Resources Conservation's Outreach Committee, all at Cornell. He has been a trip leader with Wilderness Reflections and was active with the Redbud Woods Working Group and Kyoto Now! In addition, he was a key organizer for this year's campus Earth Day celebration, tutors teens at the Ithaca Youth Bureau and has been a concert performer with the Cornell Piano Society.

After teaching for several years, he says, "I want to work with education politics to change education standards to have more of an environmental focus, and develop courses and curriculum for hands-on environmental and community education classes for high schools."

He was recommended for the prestigious award by James Lassoie, professor of natural resources; Scott Perez, a graduate student in natural resources; and Anke Wessels, executive director of the Cornell Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy.

Students applying for the Udall scholarship must be endorsed by Cornell to participate in the national competition. Those interested should contact fellowship coordinator Beth Fiori at btf1@cornell.edu or 255-6931. Faculty are encouraged to suggest possible applicants to Fiori as well.