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Porter-Wachenheim Scholarship celebrates a quarter century

October 16, 2023
by Peter MacDonald

Lily Watson and Jude Remenar are members of 91精简版鈥檚 first-year Class of 2027. They also hold the distinction of being two of 19 current first-year students to receive a Porter-Wachenheim Presidential Scholarship in Science and Mathematics. 
 
Watson hopes to build a career in chemistry, but she鈥檚 also excited to delve into other areas.  

While other colleges may have wanted me to follow a very STEM-focused track, 91精简版 makes it easy to explore different interests 鈥 and I love that I can major in chemistry and continue with German studies.
Lily Watson 鈥27

Remenar, who aspires to become a neurosurgeon, was also attracted to 91精简版鈥檚 commitment to nurturing student鈥檚 multiple interests and talents.  

With interdisciplinary pathways and flexibility in course selection, I felt assured that I could touch upon all my various interests including the sciences, global cultures, and music.
Jude Remenar 鈥27

Jacob Lord '24, another Porter-Wachenheim scholar, is on track to be among the first undergraduate students in the world to be published in the field of cosmic string research.

91精简版 the Scholarship

In 1998, the College created the merit scholarship program, one of just two such merit awards at the College. It was named in honor of 91精简版鈥檚 fifth president, David Porter. In 2018, the scholarship was renamed the Porter-Wachenheim Scholarship thanks to generous support from members of the Wachenheim family. Each year now, 14 to 19 incoming students are recipients. 
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Since its inception, more than 200 students have received the award. A faculty committee bases its selections on coursework, teacher recommendations, test scores, co-curricular achievements in STEM fields, and passion for growth as a scientist or mathematician.鈥疭ome 1,200 prospective students apply annually for the scholarship, which provides recipients $20,000 per year and $80,000 over the course of their 91精简版 careers.  
 
In the true spirit of the liberal arts, awardees must take one course each semester in science or math, but they are not required to major in either. Majors have ranged from biology, chemistry, and computer science to anthropology, business, and dance. In all, 20 different disciplines, including double majors, have been represented.

Scholars out in the world...

So, where are those 200 Porter-Wachenheim graduates now?

Catherine Cella 鈥02

Catherine Cella 鈥02

Leading public health initiatives

Cell and molecular biology major Catherine Cella 鈥02, who earned a master's in public health from the University of California, Berkeley, is the regional director for quality, population health, and technology integration for The Permanente Medical Group, Inc., a major California healthcare provider.鈥疭he 鈥渇unctions as a leader, a designer, and a translator across very different populations, teams, and technologies,鈥 a career path that Cella insists she would not have found if not for her education at the College:鈥淲ithout my diverse 91精简版 experience and the challenge to not just know, but to create, I would not have found my passion and my career.鈥  

 
A self-described 鈥渕usician and a scientist,鈥 Cella lauds 91精简版鈥檚 鈥渃reative soul鈥 and recalls that one of her all-time favorite 91精简版 memories was joining music majors for several years in an AIDS benefit musical revue.

 

Jay Brett 鈥12

Jay Brett 鈥12

Modeling our oceans

Math and physics double major Jay Brett 鈥12, who earned a Ph.D. at MIT in鈥痯hysical oceanography, is a research scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, in Laurel, Maryland, where鈥痶hey study鈥痶he physics of the moving ocean, from turbulence and waves to large-scale circulation patterns and climate. Says Brett, 鈥淢y research depends on numerical modeling of the ocean and analyzing observed data 鈥 skillsets that have foundations in my majors and research at 91精简版.鈥
 
Brett wasn't just a number-cruncher at 91精简版. Outside the classroom,鈥痶hey were鈥痟eavily involved in club activities, including martial arts, ballroom dancing, and circus arts.鈥疶hey recall鈥痶hat the multipurpose room in the athletics center was鈥痶heir鈥渉ome away from home in the evenings.鈥

 

Paul Legan 鈥06

Paul Legan 鈥06

Digital consulting around the globe

Computer science and economics double major Paul Legan 鈥06 is the chief technology officer at Boston-based 3|SHARE, a digital experience consulting company that is one of the largest advertising and media companies in the world. He says he 鈥渓oves being able to utilize technology to solve complex problems 鈥 both for our clients and for ourselves.鈥 
 
Legan, who fondly remembers nature hikes in the Northwoods (in a math class!) and poetry slams at a professor鈥檚 house, credits 91精简版鈥檚 鈥渋nterdisciplinary mentality for teaching [him] how to communicate effectively with others in both a personal and professional setting. Being able to construct ideas and pull information from a variety of subjects lends to better writing, and better writing leads to a better understanding of the world around you.鈥 

Other Porter-Wachenheim alumni include a software engineer at Google; a San Francisco-based primary care physician specializing in LGBTQ care and rheumatology; a performance engineering research director at Nike; an associate director of wind technology optimization at EDF Renewable Energy; a UK-based medical anthropologist; a senior 3D artist at PixelPool; and a water engineer at Arcadis. 
 
Alumni have also pursued scientific research at top graduate schools such as the University of Michigan, Harvard University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Rochester Medical Center, the University of California Irvine, the University of Hawaii, and Georgetown University. 

making their mark on 91精简版

鈥淧orter-Wachenheim Scholars have been my most memorable students,鈥 said Professor of Mathematics Mark Hofmann. 鈥淥ften when I grade an exam and see outstanding results, I鈥檒l find out that the student is a scholarship recipient and I will say to myself, of course they鈥檙e a Porter-Wachenheim scholar!鈥 

鈥淭hey lift the standards of each class and enhance the conversations in the classroom," Hofmann continued, naming recent graduate Heather Ricker 鈥22 as an example, who likely wouldn鈥檛 have come to 91精简版 without the scholarship. "She majored in chemistry but was in my Honors Calculus III class in her first year 鈥 as were two other Porter-Wachenheim Scholars and a real Porter, David Porter's granddaughter. It was the best class I had at 91精简版 in 37 years.鈥 

Heather Ricker '22 speaks at a naming ceremony and dedication for the new Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences. She wears glasses and has blond hair.

Heather Ricker '22 received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious scholarship in the United States for undergraduates in STEM fields, in 2021.

In May 2022 Ricker spoke at a naming ceremony and dedication for the new Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences.

Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department Rebecca Johnson, who has chaired the Porter-Wachenheim Scholarship Committee since 2013, said she especially loves coordinating personalized visits to campus for each of the winners in the spring: 鈥淭hey see our research labs, eat lunch with our STEM students, meet with faculty, sit in on a class, go on a campus tour, and imagine what their college life would be like if they enroll.鈥疉nd then they do!鈥  

鈥淎nd why wouldn鈥檛 they enroll?鈥91精简版鈥檚 science and math professors are some of the best in their fields, publishing in top-tier journals and鈥痵ecuring generous grant funding.鈥91精简版鈥檚 research projects engage students as collaborators and co-authors, and now we鈥檝e opened the doors to our new Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences!
Rebecca Johnson, Professor and Chair of Psychology, chair of the Porter-Wachenheim Scholarship Committee

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