Pitt Junior Awarded 2016 Udall Undergraduate Scholarship

PITTSBURGH—In recognition of her devotion to environmental activism, University of Pittsburgh junior Ying Chen “Bailey” Lien has been awarded a 2016 Udall Undergraduate Scholarship.

The Udall Scholarship honors extraordinary sophomores and juniors for their leadership, public service, and commitment to careers related to environmental well-being or the advancement of American Indian nations. The award is bestowed by the Udall Foundation, which was established by the U.S. Congress and named for the late-Congressmen Morris King Udall and Stewart Lee Udall, both of Arizona, in 1992.

Pitt’s ninth Udall Scholar, Lien is one of only 60 scholarship winners in the nation for 2016. Udall Scholars receive as much as $7,000 in tuition support toward the remainder of their undergraduate study.

An aspiring physician, Lien plans to focus her career pursuits on issues related to public health and environmental affairs. In addition to her medical practice, she would like to devote her scholarly research to either neurodevelopmental disorders caused by air pollutants or chronic allergy and respiratory illnesses. Lien plans to promote environmental stewardship programs throughout her career.

Lien serves as president of the environmental division of Pitt’s chapter of Global Brigades, an international nongovernmental organization that promotes sustainable development in Ghana, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. As a freshman, she played a key role in the organization’s endeavor to implement sustainability measures in rural Panama. Through an Outside the Classroom Curriculum PittAdvantage Grant, Lien is currently preparing for a second Global Brigades venture to Panama, scheduled to take place this summer.

Lien has held prominent positions within Pitt’s Student Health Advisory Board, the University’s liaison between its Student Health Service and its student population. Through that organization, Lien helped develop a tobacco-free campus campaign and worked to address other health issues throughout campus.

As an undergraduate researcher, Lien has conducted neuroscience and psychology-based research within the lab of Pitt Department of Psychology Professor Julie Fiez. Lien also played influential roles within Pitt’s Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign, Student Government Board’s environmental committee, University Honors College’s Peer Mentor Program, and the medical fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon.

In 2014, Lien was a part of a student team that won Pitt’s 2014 Sustainable Solutions Competition, sponsored by the University’s Division of Student Affairs. For the competition, Lien’s team proposed a series of energy-saving renovations for Litchfield Towers—such as dual-flush toilets, solar window panels, and energy-efficient LED bulbs—that would save more than $40,000 over four years.

Lien was one of only 51 Pitt students awarded a University Honors College Scholarship for the 2015-16 academic year. The award provides tuition support for academic achievements and extensive involvement in the University Honors College. Lien’s other Pitt honors include the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship, the Brackenridge Research Fellowship from the University Honors College, and the Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt Award from the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs.

A native of Taipei, Taiwan, Lien immigrated to the United States at the age of 12. She came to Pitt in the fall of 2013 and is majoring in neuroscience within the University’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. Lien expects to graduate in spring 2017.

Lien applied for the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship with assistance from Pitt’s University Honors College, which advises Pitt undergraduates and alumni who are interested in pursuing national and international awards.

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