Four Aggies Named Governor's Scholars
Utah State University students Jennifer Albretsen, Danielle Babbel, Katie Brown and Arthur Mahoney were named 2006 Governor’s Scholars by Gov. Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. The quartet was honored at a Nov. 9 ceremony held at the Governor’s Mansion.
Now in its second year, the Governor’s Scholars program honors four students from each of Utah’s colleges and universities who have demonstrated academic excellence during their freshman or sophomore years.
Now in its second year, the Governor’s Scholars program honors four students from each of Utah’s colleges and universities who have demonstrated academic excellence during their freshman or sophomore years.
All of USU’s honorees are Presidential Scholars and University Undergraduate Research Fellows.
A native of Waunakee, Wis., Albretsen is a second-year physics student and is an Honors Fellow. This past summer, she was selected for a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates in nanotechnology at Dartmouth University — a rare opportunity for a first-year student.
Babbel, who hails from Corvallis, Ore., is majoring in both geography and anthropology. She is pursuing a bioregional planning project for Kenya’s Nairobi National Park that addresses the future impact of urban expansion on the park’s human and animal ecosystems.
Brown, a dietetics major from Ogden, Utah, is studying iron deficiency in college-aged females and the effects of blood donation with faculty mentor Heidi Wengreen, assistant professor in the Nutrition and Food Science Department. The research team will present an accepted poster/paper of their research findings at an upcoming professional conference in Hawaii.
Mahoney, a Logan, Utah native, is a second-year computer science major. He and faculty mentor Dan Watson, associate professor, are developing a PRRLT or “Pseudo Rapidly-exploring Random Leafy Tree” algorithm to improve communication between robots. Mahoney presented his research at an international conference in Las Vegas this past summer.
Gov. Huntsman initiated the Governor’s Scholar program to prepare promising students early in their undergraduate careers to complete for prestigious fellowships, including the Rhodes, Truman and Udall scholarships.
Contact: Joyce Kinkead, 435-797-1706
Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-1429
Four USU undergraduate researchers were named 2006 Governor's Scholars. From left are Katie Brown, Arthur Mahoney, Jennifer Albretsen and Danielle Babbel.
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