SPRING 2016 | CAMPUS NEWS STUDENT/PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2 Gatton Academy students named Emperor Science Award winners Two Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky students have been named winners of the inaugural Emperor Science Award. The Emperor Science Award program is an initiative designed to encourage high school students to explore careers in science, specifically cancer research and care, through a mentoring opportunity. The program is made possible by founding donors Genetech, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Novartis and through partners Stand Up To Cancer and PBS Learning Media. Makenzie Daniels from Smiths Grove, Ky., and Haley Dicken from Jamestown, Ky., both first-year students at The Gatton Academy, will work alongside cancer scientists on a rewarding, multi-week cancer research project. Additionally, Daniels and Dicken will receive a Google Chrome Notebook to enhance their studies, a $1,500 stipend for their expenses and the opportunity to continue the mentoring program throughout high school. Stand Up To Cancer and PBS Learning Media received around 1,200 applications from 10th and 11th grade students throughout the U.S. who are interested in pursuing a career in science research. In total, 100 students from 40 states have been named this year ’s winners. The Gatton Academy students are Kentucky’s only award winners. Makenzie Daniels Haley Dicken WKU student awarded U.S. Foreign Service Internship Alexandria Knipp, a WKU student from Olive Hill, Ky., has been awarded a prestigious U.S. Foreign Service Internship from the U.S. Department of State. Knipp, a sophomore with majors in International Affairs and Arabic, will spend one summer in Washington, D.C., and a second summer at a U.S. Embassy overseas. In addition to the paid internships, Knipp will receive several extra instructional modules to prepare her for working in the State Department and eventually as a Foreign Service Officer. “I am very passionate about pursuing a career with the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer, so this program is exactly what I’m looking for,” Knipp said. “I believe it will introduce me to a world of possibilities I wouldn’t have access to otherwise.” Alexandria Knipp 6 www.alumni.wku.edu
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