Several Denison University students have been named as winners of prestigious scholarship awards. Ashley Galant, a rising junior majoring in biochemistry, has been named as a winner of a Goldwater Scholarship for 2004-05; while Anna Beck, a new graduate who majored in chemistry with a concentration in environmental studies, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Austria for 2004. William Evans, a new graduate who majored in German and political science, has been awarded a teaching fellowship in Austria under the Fulbright program; and Christen Rhodes, another new graduate who double majored in international studies and political science, has been awarded a Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship, one of only 10 awarded nationally this year. Jessica Kilgore, a 2004 graduate who double majored in mathematics and education, will spend the next academic year in France as winner of a French Government Teaching Assistantship awarded through the French Ministry of Education with applicants applying through the IIE/Fulbright program; and 2004 graduate Julie Hufnagel, a biology major, has become Denison's 34th winner of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

A 2002 graduate of Beavercreek High School, Galant is the daughter of Patricia and John Galant of Lebanon. The Goldwater Scholarships are intended for students considering a career in science or mathematics. Applicants must have a 3.7 or above grade-point average and be a sophomore or junior at the time of the application. Galant is one of 310 students from a field of 1,113 nationwide to be selected this year and is Denison's sixth Goldwater recipient in the last six years. She was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholar last year, working with Peter Kuhlman, assistant professor of chemistry at Denison. Her research involved the isolation and purification of chloroplast RNAP from GenusPelargonium.She is continuing that research inthis summer as an Anderson Research Assistant, joining more than 100 other Denison students who have remained on campus to pursue one-on-one research with their professors. A consistent dean's list student, Galant also holds a Faculty Scholarship for Achievement.

Beck is a 2000 graduate of Springboro High School and the daughter of RaeLynn and Jim Beck of Lebanon. She will pursue research at the Chemistry Technical Institute associated with the University of Vienna in Austria. Beck will work with Dr. Hans Puxbaum and study the chemical processing of organic molecules and using analytical techniques to identify the resulting pollutant products. Beck is currently completing her senior research on the synthesis of peptides with varying amino acid sequences titled, "Synthesis of a Biotinylated Hydroxproline Residue and ¹H NMR Analysis of its Structural Conformations." This spring she attended the International Organic Speciation Workshop in Atmospheric Aerosols Research at the Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas. An Honors Program participant, a consistent dean's list student and a fellow in the department of chemistry, Beck has earned the Sanders Award for academic achievement in chemistry. Holder of a Faculty Scholarship for Achievement, she is a member of Sigma Pi Sigma physics honorary and Sigma Xi science honorary. She has been a presenter for the U.S. Department of Energy's Global Change Education Program and a contributor at the 2004 Chicago Joint Conference on the Environment. Along with serving as a teaching assistant in Denison's Energy and the Environment laboratory and the Organic Chemistry laboratory for majors, she found time this semester to take a course in scuba diving and to earn her scuba certification during spring break in Key Largo, Fla. Beck also is a member of the women's rugby club.

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by former Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. Since its inception, 255,000 students have participated -- 96,400 from the United States and 158,600 from other countries. The Fulbright program awards approximately 4,500 new grants annually. The program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State under policy guidelines established by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation by the United States Congress.

Evans is the son of the Rev. Cheryl Evans and the Rev. Stacy Evans of The Plains. A 2000 graduate of Big Walnut High School (Sunbury), he is also a consistent dean's list student at Denison and is a member of Delta Phi Alpha, the national German honorary society, and Phi Society, which recognizes academic excellence in the first year. He spent last spring studying at the Institute for the International Education of Students in Freiburg, Germany. He will spend an academic year in Austria teaching English and American culture to Austrian students.

Rhodes is the daughter of Gretchen and David Rhodes of Merced, Calif. A 2000 graduate of Merced High School, she will intern this summer with Denison alumnus J. Walker Roberts '82, a member of the senior professional staff for the U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee and then enter George Washington University's Elliot School of International Affairs in the Europe and Eurasia Program. The Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship Program seeks to attract outstanding young graduates into pursuing a career in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. The fellowship stipend of up to $27,000 annually covers tuition, room, board, books and mandatory fees for completion of a two-year master's degree program. A consistent dean's list student, Rhodes was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa (the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary), Phi Society (an honorary recognizing excellence in the first year), and Pi Sigma Alpha (political science honorary) and served as a departmental fellow in the political science department. She was a member of the Honors Program and held a University Scholarship. While at Denison, she participated in the Richard G. Lugar Program in Politics and Public Service and also interned with Ohio State Representative Bryan Williams. She studied in Freiburg, Germany, under the IES European Union Program and completed a summer research project on "EU Relations with Russia: The Impact of EU Membership for the Baltic States."

Kilgore is the daughter of Jenny Toves of Powell and James Kilgore of Columbus. A 2000 graduate of Thomas Worthington High School, she will teach English and American culture courses in a French school. Kilgore completed the additional requirements to be named as an Honors Program graduate and also earned an Ohio Provisional Teaching license. She held a Trustee Scholarship and a Forbes B. Wiley Memorial Mathematics Award and was a consistent dean's list student. Her honors project was titled "Non-Euclidean Geometry for the High School Student." Kilgore served as a departmental fellow in the mathematics and computer science department and was inducted into Phi Society (an honorary recognizing excellence in the first year), Pi Mu Epsilon (mathematics honorary) and the French Honor Society. She was a member of Delta Gamma sorority and served in the student senate and as communications chair for the Denison Campus Government Association.

Hufnagel, the daughter of Alan and Michele Hufnagel of Ann Arbor, Mich., will use her $7,500 NCAA scholarship to pursue her postgraduate education in physical therapy. Created in 1964 to honor outstanding student-athletes from NCAA member institutions, the Postgraduate Scholarship program recognizes student-athletes who have excelled academically and athletically and are in their final season of intercollegiate varsity athletic competition. With 34 winners at Denison, the University is ranked fourth among more than 400 NCAA Division III institutions in total number of honorees. Hufnagel had a 3.94 grade-point average and competed on Denison's cross country and track & field teams. She was a three-time first-team All-Region selection and a three-time first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference pick. Hufnagel won her first individual conference championship in the fall of 2003 and followed it with a 31st place finish at the 2003 NCAA Division III Championships. Her outstanding performance at the national meet earned her All-American recognition. In track, she won the 1500-meter event at the NCAC Indoor Championships this past spring. Hufnagel, who earned one of only six President's Medals in 2004 (Denison's highest and most prestigious student honor), worked with autistic children on a weekly basis as part of the "Hope for Autism" group. She also volunteered with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization and served on the Student Athlete Advisory Council. She was inducted into Mortar Board, a senior honorary recognizing academic accomplishments and campus leadership. She has also been named as an Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America and the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575