Pitt Honors College Students Win One Goldwater and Two Udall Scholarships

PITTSBURGH—University of Pittsburgh Honors College students have received scholarships in every prestigious national federal commemorative undergraduate scholarship competition category for the 2003-04 academic year. Daniel E. Armanios has been awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Gwendolen A. Morton and Clare S. Sierawski have each won a Morris K. Udall Scholarship. With the win of two Truman Scholarships last month—Sierawski received one of them—University Honors College students have for the first time won in all of these national scholarship categories.

The Goldwater Scholarship was established in 1986 by Congress in honor of then-Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields, the Goldwater Scholarship is awarded in either a student's sophomore or junior year. It covers tuition, room and board, fees, and books—up to a maximum of $7,500 per year—for each student recipient's remaining period of study. Pitt undergrads have won a total of 30 Goldwater Scholarships.

Established by Congress in 1992 to honor former Arizona Congressman Morris K. Udall, the Udall Scholarship recognizes U.S. students with excellent academic records and demonstrated interest in careers in the fields of environmental public policy, health care, and tribal public policy. Each year, 80 undergraduate scholarships of up to $5,000 are awarded to juniors and seniors. Pitt's Udall winners are in the environmental public policy category.

The Truman Scholarship is a highly competitive, merit-based federal grant of $26,000 awarded to college juniors who wish to attend graduate or professional school in preparation for careers in government, the nonprofit sector, or elsewhere in public service. Winners are eligible to receive $2,000 for the senior year of undergraduate education and $24,000 for graduate studies in the United States or abroad in a wide variety of fields.

"The outstanding record of academic accomplishments by undergraduate students in the University of Pittsburgh's Honors College reflects Pitt's dedication to excellence in undergraduate education—and underscores our very significant success in attracting and nurturing that excellence," said Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg. "Pitt undergraduates are competing for, and winning, our nation's most prestigious scholarships—and they are doing so in increasing numbers. We are extremely proud of them."

"Winning all three of the federal undergraduate awards in the same year is external validation and good news for any university that seeks to measure educational quality by student attainment," said Alec Stewart, Honors College dean and faculty representative for the Goldwater, Truman, and Udall scholarships.

Goldwater winner Armanios is a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering and political science. He has either presented talks or published papers in four different fields, including physical chemistry, English, aerospace engineering, and mechanical/electrical engineering. Armanios is the recipient of two National Science Foundation internships, one at Cornell University and one at Washington State University. Active in the Model United Nations and the student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at Pitt, Armanios is in the process of founding the Model Arab League on campus, as well as a chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He plans to pursue a doctoral degree specializing in mechanics of materials and hopes to become a university professor.

Udall winner Morton is a junior majoring in environmental studies and political science. As an intern in Pitt's Laboratory of Ecology at Pymatuning Lake last year, Morton researched such alternative energy sources as solar, wind, and geothermal generators for the laboratory and made educational material for the local community. She also played Viola in the recent Pitt Repertory Theatre production of Twelfth Night. This summer she will attend Harvard University's Constantin Stanislavsky Summer School, a rigorous six-week acting program named for legendary Russian actor, director, and teacher who founded the Moscow Art Theatre. Morton plans to pursue a career in resource conservation in the corporate and public arena after obtaining a graduate degree in environmental management.

A Udall and Truman winner, Sierawski is a junior with a triple major in environmental studies, political science, and East Asian Languages and Literatures. A recipient of a certificate in Global Studies, Sierawski is founder of Panther Treks, an orientation program for freshmen that emphasizes the rigors of physical adversity through backpacking and rock climbing, with an eye toward producing future leaders for Pitt's Outdoors Club. Sierawski would like to pursue a career dealing with problems of international environmental degradation through affiliation with such organizations as USAID, the United Nations, the World Wildlife Fund, or Oxfam International. Her academic plans are to earn the Master of Arts degree in public administration from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, followed by the J.D. degree in international law.

As was announced last month, Jocelyn Horner, a junior with a double major in urban studies and sociology, received the Truman Scholarship. Horner, who holds a certificate in Women's Studies, has worked closely with Professor Carolyn Carson, coordinator of Pitt's Urban Studies Program. Horner also is working with Pitt History Professor Liann Tsoukas on an Honors College Bachelor of Philosophy thesis that deals with trends in Black women's social action in poor, inner-city communities. Horner's long-term plans are to obtain the Master of Arts degree in public policy from Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies, followed by the Ph.D. degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

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