Two Rice students named Truman Scholars

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

Rice juniors Benjamin Chou and Rahul Rekhi are among the 54 college students nationwide named 2012 Truman Scholars. Each Truman Scholarship provides up to $30,000 for graduate study.

“The Truman Scholarship is among the most competitive undergraduate awards and by far the most demanding application,” said Caroline Quenemoen, director of fellowships and undergraduate research at Rice.

Ben Chou (left) and Rahul Rekhi were named 2012 Truman Scholars.

“Ben and Rahul were selected because they have the vision and passion to lead in the public sector and significant records of public service, leadership and academic achievement on campus and in the community.”

Truman Scholars must be U.S. citizens, have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills, be in the top quarter of their class and be committed to careers in government or the not-for-profit sector.

Chou, a member of Martel College from Sugar Land, Texas, is pursuing majors in political science, Asian studies and energy policy. After graduating next year, he hopes to get a master’s in public policy. He said he is committed to improving the global environment and intends to shape U.S. policy and further U.S.-Sino relations on climate change.

“Last year I was named a Udall Scholar, and meeting fellow students who are passionate about addressing environmental problems on a global scale from all kinds of academic backgrounds inspired me to do more.” Chou said.

“The reason that’s truly compelling for me to work on environmental issues is because of my passion for minority rights. Somehow minorities and those from lower economic backgrounds always end up living in the worst environmental conditions. It’s a matter of justice, and I hope that my work as a Truman Scholar in the future can help to address this social inequity,” he said.

Since his freshman year, Chou has examined Chinese energy policy under the direction of Baker Institute research fellow Steven Lewis. Chou has held internships at the Center for Houston’s Future, the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai. He has volunteered for several congressional campaigns. As student life chair of the Student Association, he worked with the administration to secure off-campus winter-break housing.

Chou is the chair of the Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium. His service record includes assisting the Asian-American community of Houston, participating in Rice’s Alternative Spring Break trips and teaching English in Taiwan. He also works as a fellow for Organizing for America, Greater Houston.

Rekhi, a member of Sid Richardson College from Houston, is a double major in bioengineering and economics. After graduation, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in bioengineering and a master’s in public policy so he can work at the nexus of science, health and policy as both a biomedical researcher and a national policymaker.

“My time at the National Science Foundation last summer as a Baker Institute/Rice Center for Engineering Leadership DC intern definitely cemented my desire to walk the path of the civic scientist,” Rekhi said.

“This unique experience in tackling science and technology policy issues at the federal level was profoundly rewarding, and it helped me realize that my broader social mandate as a bioengineer is not just to discover and design treatments in the lab, but also to help make those technologies broadly accessible, affordable and in sync with public policy,” he said. “This, I believe, is my civic duty, and the Truman helps give me a chance to act on it.”

A 2011 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar, Rekhi has conducted research on the computer modeling of angiogenesis under the direction of bioengineering assistant professor Amina Qutub at Rice since his freshman year. He is second author on papers submitted to Nature Biotechnology and to Science and has presented at several national conferences. He serves as an editor of the Rice undergraduate science journal, Catalyst, and his bioengineering design team has a provisional/pending patent on a cellphone-based bilirubinometer.

As a health policy fellow for the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network, Rekhi paired with the nonprofit Young Invincibles to distribute health care materials to more than 300,000 college seniors. Rekhi won a Rice Envision Grant and a Community Service Grant to create the Research Mentorship Initiative, which pairs underserved students at Milby High School in Houston on research projects with Rice undergraduates.

The 2012 Truman Scholars will assemble in May for a leadership development program at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., and receive their awards in a special ceremony at the Truman Library in Independence, Mo.

The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to the 33rd president and is supported by a special trust fund in the U.S. Treasury. In addition to funding for graduate school, recipients receive priority admission at some premier graduate schools, career counseling, leadership training and special internship opportunities with the federal government.