Kathy King, a senior from Pittsford, N.Y., majoring in philosophy at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has been awarded the Marshall Scholarship, a British grant that finances young Americans of high academic ability to study toward a degree in the United Kingdom.
"It is a great honor for one of our students to win such a prestigious award," said CU-Boulder Chancellor Richard Byyny. "This is further evidence of the high quality of the university and its students."
King was one of the first students in CU-Boulder's Norlin Scholars program. She also was a principal founding member of the Undergraduate Academy, an intellectual honors community on campus, where she established a mentoring program and taught a science class at a local high school.
King now serves as the lead undergraduate teaching assistant for the Boulder campus.
Lori Goodman, CU-Boulder's special scholarship adviser, assists students in their pursuit of top national scholarships. "The university is very proud of Kathy and her accomplishments, both in her academic studies and her service to our community," Goodman said.
"As only the second Marshall Scholar in CU's history, she truly exemplifies both the goals of the Marshall Scholarship program and of the university's ability to provide world-class experiences for its students."
King plans to pursue two master's degrees at Oxford, in philosophy and psychology, to study the integration of those subjects in answering questions of consciousness. According to Goodman, King's natural curiosity and enthusiasm will allow her to succeed as a researcher, a teacher and a voice in public debate about the ethical implications of the mind.
"I am very honored to be chosen as a Marshall Scholar and I am really excited about the opportunity to study at Oxford," King said. "I am also extremely grateful to the university for providing the support needed to accomplish this honor."
King also has performed extensive work in biology and psychology in order to prepare for a future academic career in philosophy and as a participant in debates about ethical issues related to the mind. She has conducted research on visual cortical development in molecular biology and on the Zombie argument in philosophy.
In addition to her academic accomplishments, King is an active member of her community and was a national champion and team co-captain with the CU road cycling team.
Marshall scholarships allow young Americans of high academic and leadership ability to study for a degree at a British university, either at the undergraduate or graduate level. Goals for the program include enabling students to gain an understanding and appreciation of British academic and social values and establishing long-lasting ties between the people of Britain and the United States.
Only 40 awards are granted nationwide each year, making this one of the most prestigious awards that an undergraduate student can earn in the United States.
The scholarships are named for former U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who inspired a foreign aid program in 1947, later known as the Marshall Plan, that greatly contributed to the economic recovery of Europe following World War II.
For more information on CU-Boulder's Norlin Scholars program and the Undergraduate Academy, please visit the following CU-Boulder Web sites at: and at: .