Senior Bryn Weaver, whose research at the University of Colorado at Boulder commenced before she ever set foot in a classroom, is hoping to be awarded a Fulbright grant next month as the capstone to a stellar educational career that brings a whole new meaning to scholarship.
Weaver, who will graduate with honors from CU-Boulder's ecology and evolutionary biology department in May 2005, has conducted research on issues ranging from cancer and renewable energy to space satellites and roadless areas during her undergraduate years. She also found time to tutor minority students at the Family Learning Center and to participate in CU's annual World Affairs Conference.
"I feel very lucky to have been able to take advantage of the opportunities this university has to offer," said Weaver, who came to CU-Boulder from Steamboat Springs High School in 2001. "There is a wealth of knowledge, programs, experiences and support here if you go looking for them."
Weaver attended CU-Boulder on a Boettcher Scholarship, a merit-based award given annually to 40 top high school seniors in Colorado. The scholarship covers four years of full tuition costs, student fees, a book allowance and an annual living stipend at an accredited, four-year Colorado university or college.
She also received a four-year Norlin Scholarship, which provides a merit-based award of $2,000 per year to select students based on academic commitment and creativity. This summer, courtesy of a $5,000 scholarship awarded by the Morris K. Udall Foundation -- given to 80 students in the United States for their demonstrated commitment to the environment -- she will travel to Costa Rica to participate in a six-week program on sustainable development.
Weaver came to CU-Boulder in 2001 for the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, in which students receive $1,000 stipends to conduct research or creative work with faculty members before beginning their classroom studies. Weaver helped design, build and test a prototype mini-satellite for the Colorado Space Grant Consortium and worked on the CoPIRG Renewable Energy Campaign in Longmont.
During 2002-03, Weaver received three stipends for roughly $700 each from CU-Boulder's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, conceived in 1986 and which has granted more than $5 million to nearly 6,000 students to work with faculty members on research or creative work. Weaver's research helped to characterize the binding capacity of estrogen receptors with various estrogenic compounds in collaboration with chemistry and biochemistry department Associate Professor Deborah Wuttke.
Weaver broadened her horizons in summer 2003, working for the Colorado Environmental Coalition as a roadless area surveyor in the Arapahoe National Forest. In fall 2003 she spent part of a four-month study abroad program in Madagascar through the School for International Training, teaching villagers to build and use energy-efficient clay stoves in a region devastated by deforestation and erosion.
"Probably the most rewarding part for me was arranging for a local, nongovernmental agency to take over the program," Weaver said. "I wanted to make sure it would continue after I was gone."
Since last summer, Weaver has been working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Wind Technology Center in Boulder. She coordinated a pilot project to install wind turbines to power Colorado schools, helped perform economic analyses to test the feasibility of various wind projects, and made presentations to eastern plains schools in the state on how to design school wind projects.
Winning a Fulbright grant in April would provide Weaver with all expenses for an academic year in Sri Lanka during 2005-06, working on renewable energy issues with that nation's Electric Board.
"I know quite a few of my peers who have found their niche here and are taking advantage of the activities and programs CU has to offer," said Weaver. "Being part of the Boettcher Scholars community, I can say there is no shortage of people doing inspiring and amazing work."
Lori Goodman, special scholarship adviser for undergraduates at CU-Boulder, said students like Weaver don't wait for opportunities to knock.
"Bryn Weaver latched onto these opportunities with both hands, and has exemplified what is possible at CU-Boulder," said Goodman. "She is proof that students don't have to go to schools like Harvard or Stanford to succeed on a national or international level. These kinds of opportunities are available to all of our students who take the initiative."