Three Rice students awarded prestigious scholarships for study abroad

Three seniors at Rice University have been awarded prestigious scholarships for study abroad.

Ye jin Kang is one of 32 Americans who was named a Rhodes Scholar this year, and Anthony Austin and Jingyuan Luo are among 40 students across the nation who were named Marshall Scholars.

The Rhodes Scholarship, the oldest award for international study, provides all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Funded by a trust established for British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes, the scholarships are awarded on the basis of high academic achievement, integrity, unselfishness, respect for others, leadership potential and physical vigor to individuals who are likely to make an effective and positive contribution throughout the world.

Kang, who was one of two awardees selected from 14 finalists in the district that includes Texas, will spend two years at Oxford. She plans to earn two Master of Science degrees — one in global health science and one in global governance and diplomacy.

“Infectious diseases know no political or geographical boundaries, fuel a cycle of poverty, and hinder economic development,” Kang said. “That’s why I want to work toward eradicating disease as a physician-policymaker on the international level.”

At Rice, Kang is majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology and in policy studies in global health. She is also working on a minor in biochemistry and cell biology.

The Marshall Scholarship, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1953 to commemorate the humane ideals of the Marshall Plan, allows intellectually distinguished American students to pursue two years of graduate study at any institution in the United Kingdom.

Austin will use the scholarship to complete a Master of Advanced Study degree in Part III of the Mathematics Tripos at Cambridge University and a Master of Science in pure mathematics at Imperial College London.

“The Marshall Commission has graciously granted me a rare opportunity to undertake some of the most challenging mathematics courses in the world at the U.K.’s best universities, which attract people from around the globe to study there,” Austin said. “Cambridge has been home to some of the world’s most brilliant scientists and mathematicians, from Isaac Newton to G.H. Hardy. Getting to experience this connection to the past will be a treat.”

At Rice, Austin is working on dual degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics.

Luo will use the Marshall Scholarship to complete a Master of Science degree in biomedicine, bioscience and society at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Master of Research in stem cell biology at Imperial College London.

“The biomedicine, bioscience and society master’s degree is unique in that it addresses the regulatory, ethical and societal implications of emerging biotechnologies,” Luo said. “I am excited about expanding my knowledge of the legal issues involved in biotechnology and learning more about bioethics.”

At Rice, Luo is pursuing dual degrees in biochemistry and cell biology and in policy studies.

Editor’s note: Photos of these Rice University students can be downloaded at the following sites:

Ye jin Kang (Rhodes Scholar):
http://www.media.rice.edu/images/media/NEWSRELS/Rhodes_Ye_jin_Kang.jpg

Anthony Austin (Marshall Scholar):
http://www.media.rice.edu/images/media/NEWSRELS/Marshall_Anthony_Austin.jpg

Jingyuan Luo (Marshall Scholar):
http://www.media.rice.edu/images/media/NEWSRELS/Marshall_Jing_Luo.jpg