Notable Student Accomplishments

Three Gates Scholars to Study at Cambridge

Anyu Fang, Karen McClendon, and Kathryn Tabb were named 2007 Gates Cambridge scholars. The awards, supporting graduate study at the University of Cambridge, are given on the basis of intellectual ability, leadership capacity, and desire to improve the lives of others. All three graduated in 2006—Fang in economics, McClendon in international studies, and Tabb in history, philosophy, and social studies of science and medicine (HIPSS).

Chicago Tops Truman Scholarships with Three

The University of Chicago garnered more Truman scholarships than any other institution, with three third-year students winning in 2007: Stephanie Bell (anthropology), Susanna “S. J.” Cohen (history), and Alethea Lange (English language & literature and political science). The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation awards scholarships to students who plan to attend graduate school and then work in government or public service.

Goldwater Scholarships to Four Aspiring Scientists

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation picked four students as 2007 scholars: third-years Matt Biancalana (biological chemistry and chemistry), Ryan Johnson (mathematics), and Zachary Rodgers (biology, chemistry, and physics); and second-year Elisabet Pujadas (biology). The scholarships are awarded annually to outstanding second- and third-year undergraduates who plan to pursue careers in science, mathematics, and engineering.

Record Fulbrights for College, Doctoral Students

Seventeen students were awarded 2007–08 U.S. Fulbright Student Fellowships, the highest number in College history, winning nine- to twelve-month grants for teaching and research abroad. The University had the highest percentage of winners to applicants in the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship competition, with thirteen recipients out of twenty-seven applicants.

“American Dream” Fellowship to Polish Writer

Martyna Majok, AB’07, will use a $20,000 stipend from the Merage Foundation for the American Dream to support work on an autobiographical play about her journey to the U.S. as a young Polish immigrant. Fourteen exceptional immigrant college student winners were selected based on academic performance, leadership skills, ethical behavior, clarity of their American dream, and their potential to contribute to America.

Pritzker Student Wins AMA Scholarship

Aisha Reuler, a second-year student in the Pritzker School of Medicine, was one of eleven medical students nationwide selected for a $10,000 scholarship awarded to minority scholars by the American Medical Association Foundation. Less than 7 percent of physicians in the U.S. come from minority groups.

Linguistics Student Receives Beinecke Scholarship

Third-year student John Sylak was awarded a $32,000 Beinecke scholarship, which supports graduate studies in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Sylak will use the funds to pursue graduate work in linguistics. At Chicago, his study of Slavic languages has focused on Russian and Lak, a language spoken by only 150,000 people worldwide.

Top Prize to Byzantinist

Nicholas Marinides, AB’07, is the first University of Chicago student to win a Bliss Prize Fellowship in Byzantine Studies. The award—given, if at all, to just one recipient each year—covers graduate school tuition and living expenses for two years plus $5,000 for summer travel and study. Marinides is now working toward graduate degrees in history.

Chicago Athletes Take All-America, Scholastic Honors

With five All–University Athletic Association (UAA) players and the league’s Coaching Staff of the Year, the men’s basketball team ranked twelfth nationally and won an at-large berth in the NCAA Division III championship tournament.

The men’s soccer team and the women’s softball team both earned bids to NCAA Division III tournaments. The women’s cross-country team took nineteenth place at the 2006 NCAA Division III championship.

Renee Neuner, AB’06, was named a conference winner for the NCAA Woman of the Year for her achievements on the women’s soccer team.

Football offensive lineman Ben Potts, AB’07, was one of twenty-nine winners of NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships selected from all three NCAA divisions.

With majors in biology, chemistry, and physics, third-year Zach Rodgers was selected to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Team for men’s cross-country and track and field.

Wrestler Phil Kruzel, AB’07, who garnered All-America recognition with an eighth-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Division III championship, was named a Scholar All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.