Twenty-five new students from Colorado, seven other states and England have been selected to join the Undergraduate Academy at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The Undergraduate Academy was created by the university for 200 exceptionally talented and intellectually lively students and started operation last fall.
The students are majoring in such diverse fields as theater, chemical engineering, anthropology, molecular biology, music, architecture, math and English. The majority of them are majoring in two or more different subjects within the colleges of arts and sciences, architecture, engineering, and music.
According to Distinguished Professor Marjorie McIntosh, faculty adviser to the program, the students have high grades and test scores, but more importantly, are dynamic and engaged.
"We are delighted to welcome these exceptional students into the Academy," McIntosh said. "They are students who are going to make a major contribution to the world when they graduate and we want to offer them an outstanding experience while they are with us at CU-Boulder."
Undergraduate Academy students have demonstrated that they care about ideas and learning, are concerned about contemporary issues and problems and that they want to make the most of their undergraduate years.
"I'm very excited about being admitted to the Academy," says Priya Kumar, a junior from Fort Collins. "It will help me to meet students who share my interests, bring me into closer contact with faculty outside class and help me to learn more about topics that don't get covered in my courses. Even the group discussions we had as part of the selection process produced creative ideas and revealed a lot of enthusiasm."
The three main goals of the Undergraduate Academy are to expand the education of top students outside the classroom, build a sense of intellectual community among participants and help prepare them for post-graduation opportunities.
Â鶹ÒùÔº receive special advising, meet with faculty for informal discussions and organize cultural, environmental and community service activities. Some undergraduates are accepted into the Academy as Norlin Scholars or Boettcher Scholars, while others apply as sophomores or juniors.
For more information call (303) 492-4755 or visit the Web site at .
Following are the new Undergraduate Academy students and their hometowns:
1. Gina Alkes, Kalamazoo, Mich.
2. Ryan Bender, Lafayette, Colo.
3. Jaclyn Casey, Parker, Colo.
4. Christopher Clary, Littleton, Colo.
5. Andrew Dalby, Greeley, Colo.
6. Heather Demarest, Boulder, Colo. (Fairview)
7. Laura Edgerley, Fort Collins, Colo.
8. Elizabeth Finger, Colorado Springs, Colo.
9. Dianne Friedman, Miami, Fla.
10. Thomas Fuller-Rowell, London, England, and Boulder, Colo.
11. Morgan Keay, Chappaqua, N.Y.
12. Carol Kim, Englewood, Colo.
13. Priya Kumar, Fort Collins, Colo.
14. Kathryn Landuyt, Colorado Springs, Colo.
15. Carey Muhlhauser, Wilsonville, Ore.
16. Heidi Munger, Littleton, Colo.
17. Nicole Neumeyer, Elizabeth, Colo.
18. Marily Ng, Scottsbluff, Neb.
19. Janice Pagel, Burnt Hills, N.Y.
20. Emily Rahe, Boulder, Colo. (Fairview)
21. Lauren Robinson, Arvada, Colo.
22. Jessica Sucherman, Mancos, Colo.
23. Jennifer Thies, Longmont, Colo.
24. Christian Toohey, Boulder, Colo. (Boulder High)
25. Orin Wicks, Littleton, Colo.