Arts & Sciences seniors Gregory S. Gandenberger and Kelley E. Greenman were recognized in April with prestigious national scholarships.
As one of 22 students nationwide to be named a Beinecke Scholar, Gandenberger, a philosophy major with a minor in physics, will receive $34,000 in support of graduate study. Greenman, an environmental studies major, is one of 80 students nationwide to be recognized with a Udall Scholarship. She will be awarded up to $5,000 for one year of study.
Gandenberger’s interests lie in epistemology, the philosophy of science and ethics. Gandenberger will combine his major and minor to pursue the philosophy of physics in graduate school.
His honors and activities at WUSTL include the Phi Beta Kappa Wheeler Freshman Book Award, the formation of an undergraduate reading group in the philosophy of religion and several visits to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to repair a church damaged by Hurricane Katrina. This summer, he is teaching an ACT preparatory course for The Princeton Review.
“Greg’s extraordinary academic record and his exceptional potential as an interdisciplinary scholar position him well to make significant scholarly contributions to the humanities, especially in the field of philosophy, as a groundbreaking researcher and an inspiring teacher,” said fellowship adviser Joy Zalis Kiefer, Ph.D., assistant dean in Arts & Sciences.
“As many of his philosophy professors attested, Greg is already thinking and writing at the level of a professional philosopher,” Kiefer said. “We consider him an outstanding candidate for the Beinecke Scholarship and are very proud that he is representing Washington University.”
The Beinecke Scholarship Program seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated students in the humanities and social sciences to pursue graduate opportunities and to be courageous in the selection of a course of study. Since 1975, the program has awarded graduate support to more than 410 college juniors from 97 different schools.
Udall Scholarships are granted to undergraduates who demonstrate a commitment to fields related to the environment or to Native American or Native Alaskan undergraduates in fields related to health care and tribal public policy.
Growing up in the Florida Keys and researching groundwater issues in India launched Greenman’s passion for international climate change policy.
She has attended two U.N. conferences on climate change while acting as a youth delegate and participating in the negotiations.
In St. Louis, Greenman leads a program on environmental education in elementary schools and also leads an environmental policy think tank on campus.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Greenman also is the recipient of a 2008 Harry S. Truman Scholarship. Truman Scholars are selected based on academic performance, leadership and dedication to public service. That award will provide up to $30,000 for graduate study.
On April 14, National Public Radio profiled her about her interests in climate and the environment.
“Kelley is deeply committed to a life of social activism,” Kiefer said. “Through her intense involvement in a number of organizations as well as a rigorous academic curriculum, Kelley has positioned herself well to make a lasting impact in the area of finding solutions to the problem of global climate change.
“Her numerous cross-cultural experiences have provided her a depth of insight that is rare in a person of her age,” Kiefer said. “Her boundless energy and instincts will no doubt turn her passion for creating awareness and change into lasting effective action. Kelley was a delight to work with, and we are very proud to have her representing Washington University in the Udall Scholarship program.”