Scholar names A-C
Michael Aktipis
US University: Northwestern University
Michael S Aktipis of Oak Brook, IL graduated Magna Cum Laude from
Northwestern University in June 2002 with a triple major in Economics,
Political Science and German. Michael has interned both in a local
congressional office and in Washington, DC with the House Human Rights
Caucus. Now, at age 19, Michael is a Fulbright Scholar in Vienna,
Austria where he is researching the future of collective European
security institutions. As a Marshall Scholar, he will continue this
research at the London School of Economics while reading for an MPhil in
International Relations. In his free time, Michael is an avid social
and ballroom dancer and taught Salsa dancing at Northwestern.
Justin Anderson
US University: Occidental College
Justin Anderson grew up in Tigard, Oregon, graduating
from Tigard High School with an International
Baccalaureate diploma. At Occidental College he played
football, worked as a Peer Mentor and resident
advisor, and served an internship with the US
Mission to the United Nations through the school's
UN program. He graduated in 2000 with a BA in
Diplomacy and World Affairs. Following graduation, he
worked as a Junior Fellow with the Non-Proliferation
Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace. He currently works on a range of international
security issues as an analyst with a federal
contractor. He will pursue an MA in War Studies at
King's College, London.
Nicholas Baker
US University: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Nick Baker from Milford, New Hampshire, is a student at Worcester
Polytechnic Institute, where he is completing a double major for a
BS in computer science and philosophy. He believes that video games
can be a force for social development and influence. Having grown up
alongside the video game industry, he sees immense potential in the
medium for presenting players with contemporary social problems and
inspiring them to act. He is an avid traveler, chairman of the campus films
committee, a recreational artist, and a dedicated social activist. He plans
to read for a one-year MSc degree in Computer Games Technology and an MA
in Digital Games at Liverpool John Moores.
Alexander Billioux
US University: Louisiana Scholars' College of Northwestern State University
Alexander Billioux, of Easley, South Carolina, is a senior at the Louisiana
Scholars' College pursuing a BA in Liberal Arts with a concentration in
Scientific Inquiry and minors in biology, chemistry, and the classics. Alex
will be reading for an MSc in Clinical Medicine at the Weatherall Institute
for Molecular Medicine at Oxford, and possibly pursuing a DPhil. Alex has
taken part in three internships, including two at the National Human
Genome Research Institute through consecutive NIH Intramural Training
Awards, and is also an active member of several organisations including
Blue Key, Phi Kappa Phi, and Delta Epsilon Iota. Alex won a 2002
Goldwater scholarship and was named to the Centuria of Excellence that
same year. In his free time, Alex enjoys reading, ultimate frisbee, soccer,
hiking, and simply hanging out with his friends.
Sarah "Katie" Blackmar
US University: Auburn University
Katie is a senior at Auburn University studying
Aerospace Engineering. She has a passionate love of learning and exploration,
and enjoys getting to know people from backgrounds and cultures that are different
than her own. She is the Director of Selections for the Cupola Engineering Society,
which serves Auburn's College of Engineering in an ambassadorial role. In the summer of
2002, Katie participated in an internship program with Dynetics, Inc in Huntsville, AL,
where she worked in the area of aerodynamics and completed a research project that resulted
in the improvement of an aerodynamic prediction code and a paper detailing the research for
publication and presentation at upcoming professional conferences. She is a member of Auburn's
Honors College and served as the co-ordinator for the Honors Freshman Orientation and Mentor Programs
Katie likes to relax by reading, playing the piano, and being outdoors playing ultimate frisbee. Katie
will read for a MPhil in aeronautical Engineering at Imperial College, London.
Mark Bradshaw
US University: University of Kansas
Mark grew up in rural Walnut, Kansas, and
graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in American studies. He
was an exchange student at Haskell Indian Nations University and completed his
honors thesis on Native Americans and environmental justice in Kansas.
A Truman Scholar and Udall Scholar, Mark's studies center on public policy
affecting agriculture and the natural environment, and he has particular
interests in gardens and community-supported agriculture.
He has interned in the office of a US Congressional representative and
held a fellowship with a rural policy development office of the US Department
of Agriculture in Washington, DC.
David Brogan
US University: Vanderbilt University
A biomedical engineering
major at Vanderbilt University, David will attend King's College London to
pursue a Masters of Science degree in Medical Engineering and Physics as well
as a Masters of Public Health. Upon completion of his studies in the United
Kingdom, he will return to the US for medical school training and research in
image guided surgery. In addition to his studies and research at Vanderbilt,
David runs on the Division I Varsity Cross Country team, participates in student
government, and teaches science to elementary students. A proud native of San
Antonio, Texas, he also enjoys golfing, hiking and downhill skiing.
Rachel Brule
US University: Mount Holyoke College
Raised in Syracuse, New York, Rachel Brule has always loved exploring nearby
state parks and farther destinations: Israel and the Philippines. She has
a BA in International Relations and African Studies from Mount Holyoke
College, and spent a year in Senegal, researching her thesis on cotton
commodification and development linkages as a fabric trader's apprentice.
As a Marshall Scholar she will pursue her interests in Forced Migration and
Development Management at Oxford and the London School of Economics. Rachel is
a Truman Scholar, painter, and writer who headed the Student Advisory Board of
Mount Holyoke's Weissman Center for Leadership.
Annina Burns
US University: Pennsylvania State University
As a high school freshman,
Annina founded Y-NOT, a volunteer organisation
for high school students to visit with local homeless children. She
currently serves as Y-NOT's founding advisor. While volunteering at the
homeless shelter, Annina witnessed firsthand the importance of child
nutrition. After arriving at Penn State, Annina initiated the Nutrition
Service Project to help educate disadvantaged youth about health and
nutrition. During the course of her college career, this USA Today Academic
All-American researched vitamin E levels in breast cancer and worked on an
international child nutrition initiative at the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organisation in Rome. Using her grassroots experience as
inspiration, Annina plans to make a larger impact on public policy in the
interest of child health. Annina will study Comparative Social Policy at
Oxford University.
Tom Carbonell
US University: North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Tom Carbonell
is completing undergraduate degrees in chemical engineering, multidisciplinary
studies, and economics at North Carolina State University. A native of
Raleigh, Tom expects to pursue a career in international environmental
law. Founder of Americana, an online magazine at NCSU
(www.americana.ncsu.edu);
served as Editor-in-Chief, News Editor, and Publicity Co-ordinator for Americana;
intern at Environmental Defense (Washington, DC); intern at Center for International
Environmental Law (Washington, DC); will serve as Assistant Volunteer Co-ordinator
for Habitat for Humanity's international volunteer program in Guatemala City. He is
also a volunteer tutor for Hispanic children at YMCA and at a local elementary school.
Tom enjoys travelling, reading, hiking, running half-marathons, swimming and
listening to Latin music. Tom is the recipient of numerous awards including the
prestigious Truman Fellowship. At the University of Oxford Tom will use his Marshall
Scholarship to obtain an MSc in Economics.
Samidh Chakrabarti
US University: MIT
Samidh Chakrabarti was born and raised in Oregon
where he attended Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis. He graduated with
three degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2002 (two Bachelor
of Science degrees in June in Computer Science and Engineering and in Brain and Cognitive
Science, and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
in September). He will take leave from a PhD program in Artificial Intelligence at
MIT to read for a Master of Science degree in the History of Science at Oxford
University. For the past two summers Samidh has participated in the Africa Information
Technology Initiative where he was committed to sharing his knowledge of technology to
aid the world's poor. He has also served as the MIT Chapter President and as the
National Chair of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. Ultimately,
Samidh hopes to be a science policy adviser in government, working either for the
National Science Foundation, the Congressional Science Committee or the Office of
Science and Technology.
Samuel Charap
US University: Amherst College
A native of New York City, Samuel Charap graduated Phi Beta Kappa from
Amherst College with a double major in Political Science and Russian. At
Amherst, Sam edited one of the campus' political journals, served on various
student-faculty committees, and worked with his thesis advisor as a research
assistant. He spent his summers pursuing opportunities in public policy and
journalism, the two fields that interest him most. Currently, he is
conducting extensive research on the foreign policy of Russian President
Vladimir Putin as a Fulbright scholar based in Moscow. He hopes to use the
material he gathers there as the basis for his dissertation at Oxford, where
he will read for the MPhil in Russian and East European Studies.
Lindsay Crawford
US University: University of California, Davis
Lindsay Crawford grew up in Santa Cruz where
she attended Santa Cruz High School. She is currently studying for a BA in Economics
and Political Science at UC Davis. Away from the classroom, Lindsay has
spent the last three summers gaining practical experience as a law clerk and has
also been an intern with the US Senate Finance Committee. She was elected to the
Senate of the Associated Students of UC Davis Government Board where she channels
her political energy toward improving the UC Davis campus. In between classes and
senate meetings she is an avid snowboarder and jogger. Lindsay will pursue an MPhil
in International Relations at Oxford. Her ultimate goal is to serve as a member of
the US Congress in Washington DC.
