Wesley Burgess, who is studying Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering and is completing a minor in German, has been awarded the Congress-Bundestag Scholarship for 2011-2012 and will spend an entire year in Germany. Wesley's faculty mentor, Dr. Natasa Masanovic, Assistant Professor of German in the Languages Department, says Wesley "is a wonderful student with many talents, and he will be a great ambassador for UAA and Alaska during his scholarship year".

Brett Frazer wins a 2011 Truman Scholarship. University Honors student and Natural Sciences major, Brett Frazer, has been named the winner of the highly coveted Truman Scholarship, one of the nation's most esteemed undergraduate awards. Brett will receive the $30,000 merit-based grant which is given annually by the Truman Scholarship Foundation in recognition of students with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to careers in government, non-profit or advocacy sectors, education, or pubic service.

Two UAA students have been awarded the prestigious and highly competitive U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 2011 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS).  Amber Vanderpool, major in Languages (Russian), and Rosalyn Thompson, double major in International Studies (Russia) and Languages (Russian) will be fully funded to attend one of the CLS intensive language institutes in Russia this summer.  The Council of American Oversees Research Centers reports that there were over 5,200 applicants for a total of 575 critical languages scholarships.

Deana Glick is UAA's 2009 Harry S. Truman Scholar. The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation announced that UAA’s Deana Glick was awarded a highly competitive and prestigious Truman Scholarship. Glick, a University Honors College student majoring in biological sciences, is one of only 60 scholars named from 601 candidates nominated by 289 colleges and universities. Glick is the fourth consecutive UAA student to win this award. She joins the ranks of several prestigious former Truman Scholars, including Susan Rice (U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations), George Stephanopoulos (Broadcaster and Political Advisor) and Luis Ubinas (President, Ford Foundation), among others.

Kelcie Ralph, a senior economics major in the University Honors College, is one of only 40 U.S. students named as a 2009 Marshall Scholar. The Marshall Scholarships, widely recognized as among the most prestigious awards an American undergraduate can receive, provide students with two fully funded years of study in the United Kingdom. She will attend the London School of Economics to study City Design and Social Science, and Environmental Policy and Regulation next fall. Click here to read the full press release.

2007-2008 Discovery Award winner is Mindy Graham (BS Chemistry). This award recognizes UAA undergraduate students who have "exemplified overall academic excellence that must include exceptional achievement in research or creative activities."  Mindy was the recipient of the Alaska Heart Institute Fellowship and has been conducting research on MRSA at the Center for Disease Control (CDC).  She graduated as a University Honors Scholar, and she will be attending Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to pursue a PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology on a full tuition scholarship and stipend.  She was nominated by the Chemistry Department for this award and has been mentored by Dr. John Kennish, Chemistry and Dr. Karen Rudolph at the CDC. 

Candace Lewis is a 2008 Truman Scholar.  Candace Lewis, a junior Honors student majoring in Psychology, was selected as a Truman Scholar, one of the nation's most esteemed undergraduate awards. Lewis is a graduate of Wasilla High School.  She plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Colorado.  She is very involved in making changes to the foster care system.  This is the third year in a row that a UAA student has been selected as a Truman Scholar.

Natasha Udovyk is the recipient of the Congress-Bundestag Scholarship for 2008-2009.  University Honors student and Economics major, Natasha Udovyk, will spend next year in Germany taking German language classes and doing an internship in her field.  Natasha was selected as one of 70 Congress-Bundestag Scholars from a pool of 700 applications nationwide.  Natasha follows two other great UAA students who have been selected for this scholarship, and all of these students have been mentored by Dr. Natasa Masanovic, Assistant Professor of German in the Languages Department. 

Umair Iqbal wins the Truman Scholarship.  University Honors student and Biological Sciences major, Umair Iqbal, has been named the winner of the highly coveted Truman Scholarship, one of the nation's most esteemed undergraduate awards. Iqbal will receive the $30,000 merit-based grant which is given annually by the Truman Scholarship Foundation in recognition of students with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to careers in government, non-profit or advocacy sectors, education, or pubic service.

Rebekah Moras wins a Fulbright Teaching Grant in Germany.  Rebekah Moras, BA in Languages and Psychology, was awarded the Fulbright Teaching Grant for 2007-2008.  This prestigious award funds recent graduates for a year abroad providing opportunities for personal development and international experience.  Rebekah will be working at a middle or secondary school in Germany.  She will be helping German students improve their English language abilities and knowledge of the United States, while also increasing her own German language and cross-cultural skills. Read more about Rebekah's prestigious award.

Japanese graduates Chris Yonce (2006) and Adam Lear (2007) were selected to be JET teachers in Japan this year. Mr. Yonce will be working in Musashimurayamashi, Tokyo prefecture, and Mr. Lear will be working in Iinancho, Shimane prefecture.  Founded in 1987, the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program seeks to help enhance internationalization in Japan by promoting mutual understanding between Japan and other nations. Currently, the JET Program is one of the longest and most successful exchange programs between Japan and the United States.

Jathan Day was awarded the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) scholarship.  Next year, he will be studying at Hokkaido University of Education.  Japanese majors Montgomery Dickson, John Laws and Robert Olexa and Japanese/English major Jathan Day will be the very first exchange students to attend Hokkaido University of Education directly from UAA when they depart for the 2007-2008 academic year.

Zachary Juback is awarded the  Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship.  Zachary Juback, a Biological Sciences major, was awarded the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals.  The scholarship program is designed to give participants understanding for everyday life, education, and professional training in Germany and the United States. In the US the program is funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961. 75 Americans and 100 Germans participate in the program each year. Zack's 12-month program begins in late July, and consists of 2 months of intensive German language training in Germany, 4 months classroom instruction at a German University or College of Applied Sciences, and a 5-month internship in their career field.

2006-2007 Discovery Award winner is Cody Augdahl (BS Biological Sciences). This award recognizes UAA undergraduate students who have "exemplified overall academic excellence that must include exceptional achievement in research or creative activities." Cody’s scientific research has had an immediate impact on the community. His professors concur in congratulating him for the exceptional quality of the work accomplished in his dissection, and they know of no other instance in which an undergraduate student has been able to produce a human central nervous system dissection that provides such fine structural detail. Cody’s educational achievement, technical skills, utilization of university and faculty resources, as well as the way in which his scientific project has already impacted the university community encompass all the characteristics envisioned in the recipient of the Discovery Award.

2006-2007 Discovery Award winner is Summer Engler (BS Biological Sciences). This award recognizes UAA undergraduate students who have "exemplified overall academic excellence that must include exceptional achievement in research or creative activities." Summer has presented preliminary results of her research at a scientific conference in California, and has entered into a collaborative relationship with a world-renowned expert in the field who has agreed to help her interpret data from some her recent experiments. Her ability to form scientific relationships outside of UAA speaks to the quality of her work and the professionalism with which she conducts herself. The Panel commends her for the exceptional research she is conducting, for it exemplifies the type of opportunities available to students at UAA and the ideal way to make use of them. She has been admitted to the WWAMI program for next fall. Her admission into medical school offers more evidence of the seriousness of her commitment to the medical field and her ability to succeed both as a doctor and as a researcher, for she is looking forward to having the opportunity to devote herself to both in the upcoming years. Summer’s dream is to be able to “see patients, conduct research, and teach” all at the same time, and being such a committed individual, she will no doubt do it.

University Honors Student Miranda Zindel is a Truman Scholar: Miranda Zindel a UAA junior majoring in Business Management, is a recipient of the Truman Scholarship, a national $30,000 merit-based grant to undergraduates to use to attend graduate or professional school. Zindel, a life-long Alaskan born in Soldotna, plans to pursue both a Law degree and a Masters in public affairs at Syracuse University’s prestigious Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and its highly regarded law school. With that degree combination she hopes to work as an administrator for a non-profit organization that strives to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. Miranda currently works with UAA's Center for Human Development, assisting with a program that advocates training for the disabled. During her time at UAA she has testified on legislation, organized activities and fundraisers, built Habitat for Humanity homes, addressed transportation issues, and become well known as a campus advocate for the disabled.

Lorena Nay, a UAA freshman majoring in Biological Sciences, is a recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholars award.  The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awards scholarships to students who demonstrate academic excellence, community service and strong leadership skills.  Lorena is from Kotzebue and has been a member of the National Honor Society all four years of high school.  For two years while in high school, Lorena participated in research at UAA funded by NIH as part of WWAMI’s Della Keats U-DOC Summer Enrichment Program.  Lorena elected to stay in Alaska to pursue her education in health care, with plans to work in the medical field.  

University Honors Student Ben Nolting Wins Goldwater Scholarship: Ben Nolting was awarded the Goldwater on the basis of his research in the area of homotopy analysis method in nonlinear dynamics. Ben's research focused on ways to optimally apply this method to certain classes of problems, including Volterra's integro-differential population model. This application was of particular interest to Ben due to his fascination of mathematical biology.

University Honors Student Cassie Iutzi-Mitchell Wins Fulbright Research Grant: Cassie Iutzi-Mitchell, a senior majoring in Languages with an emphasis in Spanish, will use her Fulbright Research Grant to travel to Ecuador to research the availability of interpreting services for monolingual speakers of Quechua in medical clinics in Quito. She will be working in conjunction with an Ecuadorian linguistic anthropologist during this phase of the project.

Erin LaVon Trimble, a UAA junior majoring in Psychology, is the sixth UAA recipient of the Truman Scholarship, a national $30,000 merit-based grant to undergraduates to use to attend graduate or professional school. Erin plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public mental health services. She is a life-long Alaskan. While a freshman at the University of Alaska Anchorage, she founded the AIDS Awareness Club, with the goal of preventing HIV transmission through education. Trimble is a member of Psi Chi, the Golden Key International Honor Society, and the UAA Honors Program. Her volunteer activities have included assisting athletes at the Special Olympics World Winter Games, being a reading tutor at an elementary school, and hosting fund raisers for the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association.

UAA Senior G. Matthew Snodgrass (Justice) has been selected as the recipient of the 2005-06 Discovery Award. This award recognizes UAA undergraduate students who have "exemplified overall academic excellence that must include exceptional achievement in research or creative activities." The Campus Discovery Award Panel noted that Mr. Snodgrass' work on his research project "in conjunction with the Alaska State Troopers demonstrates an exceptional ability to engage in collaborative projects that are of utmost importance to the welfare of the citizens of the State of Alaska."