UA Scores High in Academics With Three Hollings Scholars

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – From investigating fuel cell membranes to studying DNA of corals, three of The University of Alabama’s best and brightest students are being nationally-recognized for their top-notch research.

Three UA students will receive the prestigious and highly competitive National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship for 2007-2008. The students are Rachael Blevins of Maryville, Tenn., Ynhi Thai of Long Beach, Miss., and Kathryn Tippey of Tuscaloosa.

For the third consecutive year, the University ranked among the top five universities in the nation in total number of recipients for the scholarship, said Dr. Gary Sloan, UA professor of microbiology and coordinator of prestige scholarships and awards in UA’s Honors College.

“This puts us in very elite company with schools including Purdue University, the University of Michigan, Cornell University and Eckerd College,” Sloan said. “For the past three years, the University is second in the nation with a total of 11 students named as Hollings Scholars.”

The scholarship provides $8,000 per year for full-time study during the junior and senior years and $6,500 for a 10-week internship at NOAA or a NOAA-approved facility during the summer between the junior and senior years. The Hollings Scholarship is given in addition to existing awards the student may already receive.

Some 110 students were chosen nationally this year. Students studying biological and agricultural sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, engineering, computer and information sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and teacher education were eligible to apply.

Rachael E. Blevins

Blevins, a junior double major studying marine science and biology, is a Presidential Scholar, and a member of both the University Honors Program and the Computer-Based Honors Program. Through the Computer-Based Honors Program, Blevins has worked with Dr. Julie Olson, UA assistant professor of biological sciences, studying the effect of dark spot syndrome on coral morphology. She has also worked in Olson’s lab as an undergraduate researcher studying DNA associated with diseased and healthy corals. Blevins is a Younglife leader, the secretary/treasurer of Bama PAWS and a member of the Student Alumni Association.

Ynhi Thai

Thai, a sophomore chemical engineering major, is a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Tau Beta Pi and Alpha Lambda Delta honoraries. She is involved in UA’s Honors Program, the International Honors Program, and the department of chemical and biological engineering honors program. Thai is working as an undergraduate research assistant with Dr. Alan Lane, professor of chemical engineering, on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. She serves as the vice president of membership for the Society of Women Engineers. Thai traveled to Peru as part of a site assessment trip last summer with Engineers Without Borders, and she will be studying abroad in China this summer. She has interned at the Naval Research Laboratory and co-oped with Eastman Chemical Co.

Kathryn G. Tippey

Tippey, a sophomore double majoring in economics and mathematics, was recently inducted into the Elliot Society and Omicron Delta Kappa. She is a member of the Computer-Based Honors Program and the University Honors Program. Through the Computer-Based Honors Program, Tippey has been working with Dr. David A. Dixon, UA Ramsay Chair in Chemistry, on a computational environmental science project. She is also working on an Internet safety project under the Computer-Based Honors Program that recently won this year’s third place Caritas Award through UA’s Community Service Center. Tippey is a member of the UA Women’s Rowing Team and serves as a teacher’s assistant for both the economics and philosophy departments. This summer, she has an internship through the Southern Educational Leadership Initiative.

The Hollings Scholarship Program is designed to improve undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science, research technology, and natural resource education; increase public understanding of the importance of stewardship of the environment; and improve scientific and environmental education in the U.S.