Four 17³Ô¹Ï alumni have received the prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship--Erin Brinton '09 and Case Prager '08 in biology, and Ian Breckenridge-Jackson '07 and Laura Frankel '10 in social sciences.
The award provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees and is intended for students in the early stages of their graduate study in the sciences or social sciences. The award includes a $30,000-per-year living stipend and $10,500 per year for tuition.
"I was ecstatic when I found out I won and I haven't stopped smiling since," Brinton said. "I emailed Dr. [Gretchen] North right away, I was so excited. After all the mentorship and support I have received from her and the entire biology department at Oxy, I wanted them to be the first to know and share in the good news because I would not be where I am today, nor would I have won this award if it weren't for them, and really for the wonderful education and experience I had as a student at 17³Ô¹Ï."
Brinton, a biology major from Durango, Colo., is studying the biology of certain food crops at UC Riverside. Breckenridge-Jackson, a math major who hails from Pinole, Calif., is doing sociological research on post-Katrina New Orleans. He is also at UC Riverside. Frankel, a politics major from Santa Monica, is studying political science at Duke University. Prager, a Los Angeles native who completed an independent pattern of study at 17³Ô¹Ï, is undertaking ecological studies at Columbia University.
"To receive such an award at this early stage of graduate school is an incredible privilege and a challenge. I look forward to making the most of these incredible opportunities," Breckenridge-Jackson said.
Since 1990, 26 17³Ô¹Ï alumni have been awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships.
