Twenty-nine new US Gates scholars will take up their places at Cambridge this autumn, when the international postgraduate scholarship programme celebrates its tenth anniversary.

The 29 students from 20 states and 24 US colleges and universities were whittled down from an initial field of around 800 applicants and an interview shortlist of 104.

They include the first Gates Cambridge scholars from New Mexico State and Notre Dame Universities. Four are from Harvard, three from the University of Pennsylvania and two each from Stanford and Yale.

The students, who will study for Masters or PhD degrees, were selected at interviews in Annapolis MD on 5 and 6 February by four panels of academics and others from Cambridge and several US universities.

The scholarship programme was set up in 2000 and funded by a $210 million donation to the University by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It enables academically brilliant postgraduates from outside the UK who have a strong interest in social leadership and responsibility to study at the University of Cambridge.

Between 2001 and 2009 there have been 911 Gates Scholars from 91 countries. The aim is to set up an international network of scholars who will have a transformative effect on society.

This year’s successful applicants will study across a huge variety of disciplines, from oncology, bioscience and plant sciences to African Studies, Classics and Education.

They include:

Shlomo Bolts, a Columbia University student from Miami Beach, Florida, who will study for an MPhil degree in Modern Society and Global Transformations. His academic studies specialise in religion, conflict resolution and globalisation and he has also co-founded Common Ground, a Jewish-Muslim dialogue group.

Emily Gladden, from Princeton, New Jersey, who graduated in 2007 from Williams College. She will study for an MPhil in Criminology and is currently the Paralegal Supervisor for the Federal Defenders of New York, Inc which represents impoverished clients charged with federal crimes. She wants to work for effective reform to reduce recidivism and improve rehabilitation efforts, particularly for young and first time offenders.

Amanda Marzullo from Austin, Texas, a Law graduate and an MA in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania (BA from NYU) who will study for an LLM in Law at Cambridge. She works as a policy analyst for the Texas Fair Defense Project and has interned on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and has conducted field research on the enforcement of women’s rights within the Kenyan judicial system. Before law school, she worked as a paralegal on death penalty cases in New York City.

Queen Nworisara Quinn, from Houston, Texas, University, a Harvard graduate who will study for an MPhil in Innovation, Strategy and Organisation at Cambridge’s Judge Business School. She is working for the African Development Bank and has a background in corporate banking. She plans to research ways to improve the competitiveness of African firms and entrepreneurs and to teach students about entrepreneurship.

Mohammad Ghassemi, who grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and is the first Gates scholar from New Mexico State University, will study for an MPhil degree in Bioscience Enterprise at Cambridge. He hopes eventually to use a combination of business and scientific knowledge to start his own bioengineering company with the aim of improving human health through technology.

Sara Neihaus from Gadsden County, Florida, and a graduate from the University of Florida, will study for a PhD in Plant Sciences at Cambridge. After graduation, she was employed by Alachua County Forever, a program designed to purchase and manage nature preserves and later worked for Florida Communities Trust, a state program for acquiring public ownership of parks and nature preserves.

The students will be joined by a further 50 Gates scholars from other parts of the world who will be selected after interviews in late March 2010.

Gordon Johnson, Provost (CEO) of the Gates Cambridge Trust, said: "We are delighted with the new batch of American Gates Scholars selected in Annapolis. Not only will these talented young people engage fully with the University and Colleges while in Cambridge, but they are likely to become leaders in their fields and use the educational opportunities they have had to address important and pressing problems facing societies around the world.

“We very much look forward to welcoming them to Cambridge as part of the tenth class of Gates Scholars."

Biographies and photos of the new US Gates scholars are available at the link above right.
 

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