FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Four University of Arkansas students have won National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships, while two more have received honorable mention - the best showing ever for the campus in the annual competition.

The record four recipients doubled the previous record of two recipients. This year's UA students selected include senior Fulbright College physics major Matt Covington of Fayetteville, senior industrial engineering major Amber Lehrman of Russellville, senior chemical engineering major Laney Philpott of Lavaca and graduate student Whitney Townsend of Fayetteville. Senior Fulbright College physics major Amber Straughn of Bee Branch and senior chemical engineering major Christy White of Fayetteville received honorable mention.

Chancellor John A. White said prestigious awards are becoming more common place at the University, proving why 2002 was the U of A's best year ever for the NSF Graduate Fellowship.

"It has been a spectacular year for the University of Arkansas," said UA Chancellor John A. White. "For the University to claim four National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship recipients in one year is evidence of the academic talent in our student body. In recent years we have been serving notice that the students who come out of our programs compete at the highest level, at the Rhodes, the Marshall, the NSF level."

Covington plans to pursue a graduate degree at Stanford University, Lehrman will attend Pennsylvania State University, Philpott will pursue a graduate degree at the University of Colorado and Townsend has already begun her graduate studies at Mississippi State University. Straughn will pursue graduate studies at Harvard University and White will attend graduate school at the University of Colorado.

The graduate fellowship program is one of NSF's oldest and most highly competitive, with roots in NSF's original 1950 charter, offering support for graduate study in all scientific disciplines. NSF graduate fellows are promising young mathematicians, scientists and engineers who are expected to pursue lifelong careers marked by significant contributions to research, teaching and industrial applications in science, mathematics and engineering.

"We are delighted that the word is getting out to our students about these national competitions. More students are applying each year and are being rewarded in ever increasing numbers," said Suzanne McCray, director of the Office of Post-Graduate Fellowships. "The most compelling reason our students are competitive is the emphasis placed on research. Undergraduates are encouraged to participate. Faculty generously open their labs or their offices, encouraging student to explore their ideas in a systematic way. These research experiences inspire confidence, making it clear to foundations that the student is ready to embrace the rigors of graduate school."

Awards made in March 2002 carry a stipend for each fellow of $21,500 for a 12-month tenure (prorated monthly at $1,791 for lesser periods). In addition to the funds for stipend payments, the NSF provides the fellowship institution, on behalf of each fellow, a cost-of-education allowance of $10,500 per tenure year.

The new fellowships will be for maximum tenure periods of three years usable over a five-year period. Recipients may begin fellowship tenure in the summer or fall term. Tenure must be completed before the beginning of the 2007 fall term. Normal tenure for a Fellow is 9 to 12 months for each fellowship year; funds for unutilized months are forfeited. A Fellow may reserve any two years over the five-year period to use an alternative means of support or to engage in activities other than graduate study. No individual will be eligible for more than three years of NSF Graduate Fellowship support.

The University's NSF Graduate Fellowship history includes: Elizabeth Dunn, Biochemistry, 2001; Laura Fields, Physics, 2001; Timothy Ferguson, Mechanical Engineering, 2000; Jason Reed, (Honorable Mention) Mathematics, 2000; Carl Somers, (Honorable Mention) Sociology, 2000; Christina Wills, (Honorable Mention) Ecology, 1999; Anne Taunton, (Honorable Mention) Geoscience, 1999; Timothy Ferguson, (Honorable Mention) Mechanical Engineering, 1999; Lori Galloway, Psychology, 1998; and David Tabb, Microbiology, 1996.

Information on how to apply for National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships and other prestigious scholarships can be obtained by contacting Suzanne McCray at the Office of Post-Graduate Fellowships in Old Main 520 at 575-4747 or smccray@uark.

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