Two recent UI graduates have been honored with prestigious scholarships,
which help them further their academic achievements by funding graduate
studies abroad.
Mark Hersam of Downers Grove, Ill., has won a Marshall Scholarship for study
in the United Kingdom. Hersam was among 40 U.S. students to be named Marshall
Scholars this year. The scholarships fund two years of study in degree programs
at any British university or institution of higher learning.
Hersam, who graduated May 12 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering,
will study microelectronics engineering and semiconductor physics at Cambridge
University's Churchill College. After graduating from Cambridge with the
equivalent of a master's degree, Hersam intends to return to the United
States to pursue a doctorate in electrical engineering.
The Marshall Scholarship program, named after former U.S. Secretary of State
George C. Marshall, was established by the United Kingdom in 1953 to commemorate
the humanitarian ideals of the European Recovery Program (the Marshall Plan),
which helped to rebuild Western Europe after World War II.
Jason Sebastian of Chicago received the prestigious Churchill Scholarship.
Sebastian graduated May 12 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a
minor in math, and a bachelor's degree in ceramic engineering. He will pursue
a certificate of post-graduate study in engineering in the department of
materials science and metallurgy, Churchill College, Cambridge University.
Churchill Scholarships, established in 1959 by the Winston Churchill Foundation
of the United States, enable outstanding American students to do graduate
work in engineering, mathematics and science for one year at Churchill College.
About 10 Churchill Scholarships are awarded each year.
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