NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two Vanderbilt University seniors have been awarded prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarships to continue their studies at the University of Cambridge in England.
Darci Joelle Phillips, a biomedical engineering major from Northbrook, Ill., and Lauren Leigh Parker, a chemistry major from LaVergne, Tenn., were chosen from some 20,000 applicants worldwide to receive the scholarship. The two will begin their study at Cambridge in the fall of 2003.
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is made possible through an endowment by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and enables scholars of outstanding academic merit and leadership potential to pursue a second bachelor’s degree, a one-year postgraduate course or research toward a Ph.D at the University of Cambridge.
“Both Lauren and Darci are experienced and well-advanced as research scientists and are clearly on a trajectory to accomplish great things in their respective disciplines,” said Paul Elledge, associate provost and director of the Office of Honors Scholarships at Vanderbilt. “As Gates Cambridge scholars, they join an extremely select company of high achievers from around the world: only 41 of these awards were given in the United States this year, and we could not be prouder of Darci and Lauren for their inclusion in this number or of their mentors at Vanderbilt for enabling it.”
Phillips plans to use her scholarship in pursuit of a master of philosophy in bioscience enterprise. She hopes to conduct research in orthopedics at Cambridge, focusing on lower-limb and knee-joint disorders.
Phillips credits her previous study at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland through the Vanderbilt study abroad program with exposing her to the different learning styles of her fellow classmates from around the world. Often finding herself the lone American in small research groups, Phillips was able to bring her unique perspective to the international collaborations.
“While at Cambridge, I will take advantage of the wealth of experience that both the university and the United Kingdom have to offer,” said Phillips. “Also, I would like to thank Vanderbilt and especially the biomedical engineering department for all of their help throughout the last four years. Their support and encouragement have provided me with a foundation from which I was able to pursue these wonderful opportunities.”
Phillips has conducted research at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., and ultimately hopes to become an entrepreneur in the biomedical field.
The daughter of Rhonda and Robert Phillips of Northbrook, Phillips is a 1999 honors graduate of Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Ill. At Vanderbilt, she has been named to the Dean’s List, served on the Student Government Association and worked with oncology patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, among other accomplishments. Phillips plans to graduate from Vanderbilt in May with a bachelor’s degree in engineering.
Parker plans to use her scholarship to pursue a Ph.D in structural studies at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge, specializing in x-ray crystallography and x-ray fiber diffraction. Though she once planned to be a practicing physician, a family history of cancer inspired her to focus instead on the research that leads to breakthroughs in cancer treatment.
Parker has previously conducted research at Cambridge at the invitation of Professor Phil Evans of the Cambridge Laboratory of Molecular Biology. The Gates Cambridge Scholarship will allow her to continue this collaboration. A classical studies minor at Vanderbilt, Parker also plans to take advantage of the British Museum and England’s other renowned centers for classical learning while at Cambridge.
“The quality of education at Vanderbilt and my research experience under Dr. Gerald Stubbs have been absolutely critical in preparing me” for the experience, said Parker. “Vanderbilt professors like Dr. Joel Tellinghuisen and Dr. Timothy Hanusa also deserve much credit for their…commitment to undergraduate education.”
Parker is the daughter of Patricia and Charles Parker of LaVergne. She is a 1999 honors graduate of Smyrna High School in Smyrna, Tenn. A member of the Dean’s List and College of Arts and Science honors program at Vanderbilt, Parker has been admitted early into Vanderbilt’s School of Medicine. She ultimately hopes to conduct research and teach at the university level. Parker plans to graduate from Vanderbilt in May with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Media contact: Kara Furlong, 615-322-NEWS, kara.c.furlong@vanderbilt.edu