Two University of Chicago students receive scholarships to study in England
February 29, 2008
University of Chicago alumna Liz Sefton and fourth-year Matthew Biancalana will be heading this fall to the University of Cambridge for graduate study — Sefton through a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and Biancalana through a Churchill Scholarship.
"Winning a Gates Cambridge Scholarship is incredibly exciting," said Sefton, who graduated from the College in 2007 with a degree in Biology. "I'm excited to start in a new lab and be a part of an international academic community full of students with diverse backgrounds and interests."
Sefton was one of 45 students named 2008 Gates Cambridge scholars; more than 600 students applied. The scholarship, which funds one year of graduate study at the University of Cambridge, was established in 2000 by a $210 million donation by Bill and Melinda Gates.
At the University of Cambridge, Sefton will work toward her M.Phil. in Zoology through studies of segmentation of arthropods — a group that possesses 80 percent of living animals on the planet, including all insects and crustaceans.
Biancalana, whose concentration is Biological Chemistry, will spend the 2008-09 school year working toward his M.Phil in Biological Chemistry at Churchill College in the University of Cambridge, where he said he will "enjoy a year of solid lab work."
"The people there are fantastic and working in their labs will be incredible," he said, adding that he will be engaging in research that is a fusion of basic protein science and drug development.
The Churchill Scholarships, established in 1963 through the Winston Churchill Foundation, are awarded annually to about 12 students with exceptional academic achievements and who have the potential to contribute to the fields of science, engineering or mathematics.
The Churchill Scholarships are worth between $44,000 and $50,000 — including all tuition, fees and an allowance for living expenses.