Three awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Two students and an alumnus have been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Dave Kurz ’12, Erica Cao ’13 and Kaitlin Stouffer ’13 will be enrolling in the University of Cambridge for postgraduate study in the fall of 2013.

The scholarship program, founded in 2000 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, grants non-British students a full scholarship to enroll in graduate programs at the University of Cambridge.

Although the foundation has announced American winners, a separate interview round for non-U.S. citizens will be conducted in March of this year.

Kurz, who will be getting a master’s degree in biological science, said that Cambridge is the perfect fit for him because of its strong faculty and the unique Gates Scholar community within the university. He also pointed to the dozens of environmental NGOs near the Cambridge campus as another huge draw, and he plans to use such opportunities to further his maturation as a conservation scientist.

Kurz is also a columnist for The Daily Princetonian.

Currently an intern at Princeton Faith and Action, Kurz gives his faith much credit for his scholastic success and hopes in the future to answer what he describes as the biblical call to steward the earth and serve others.

Cao, meanwhile, will pursue a master’s in music studies at Cambridge after majoring in psychology at Princeton. Cambridge drew her interest largely due to its Centre for Music and Science, where postgraduate students conduct research on how music relates to the various other domains of human life. Cao hopes to one day apply her knowledge of music and science in the medical field, specifically exploring how music can be effectively utilized by hospitals to serve their patients.

“I have always been interested in how music and psychology relate ... I’m really hoping that I can explore this at Cambridge through its Centre for Music and Science,” Cao said.

Stouffer, a computer science major, is set to study in the field of Medical Research at Cambridge. Stouffer said she loves the atmosphere and teaching styles shared between the two English universities. She added that she feels Cambridge is a great place for her to combine computer science and medicine — her two passions.

“I want to try and apply [the computer science concept of machine learning] to medical problems,” Stouffer said. Stouffer is also a recipient of the Sachs Scholarship.

According to the Gates Scholarship website, of the approximately 769 applicants from the United States this year, only 39 were selected. American students make up less than half of the Gates Scholar population, and about 50 other scholarship winners from around the world will be announced later this year.

The application process for American students hoping to receive the Gates Cambridge Scholarship began in early September of last year. All students applying to Cambridge for ordinary graduate studies had the opportunity to respond to an extra essay question in order to be placed into consideration for the scholarship. The individual departments then reviewed the applications and narrowed down the list of candidates. Around 80 of the top choices were given interviews in Washington, D.C. Ultimately 39 winners from the United States — including Kurz, Stouffer and Cao — were selected.

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Deirdre Moloney, the director of fellowship advising, said she did not know the number of Princeton applicants because this particular scholarship did not require institutional endorsement, but she noted she was happy with the results. She explained that her office first directs students to faculty advisers in order to find the best program to study at Cambridge.

“[Afterward] we help them with the essay materials and related issues for their application, and if they are invited to an interview we offer them a mock up interview,” Moloney said.

Princeton had five Gates Cambridge Scholarship winners last year, two in 2011 and three in 2010. This year, six Harvard students, one MIT student, two Yale students and two Stanford students received the award.