Andrew Carnegie Fellowships

Lawrence Douglas, the James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought, and Katharine Sims, assistant professor of economics, were named two of only 33 Andrew Carnegie Fellows selected by the The Carnegie Corporation of New York from over 200 applicants.Each Carnegie fellowship carries with it up to $200,000 in funding and typically results in the publication of a book or major study. 

Douglas will use his fellowship to continue his groundbreaking exploration of the law and human rights, while Sims will use hers to better understand the intersection of economic and environmental policies in four countries.

Schwarzman Scholarships

Carlos Gonzalez Sierra ’14, Richard Altieri ’15 and Servet Bayimli ’16 were selected from over 3,000 applicants to study in Beijing as part of a new, highly selective fellowship program. The Schwarzman Scholars program includes cultural immersion, leadership training and graduate study on the campus of the newly built Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing. 

Sierra will use his scholarship to foster interdisciplinary research and increase cultural, political and economic ties between China and Latin America. Alteri will interview comedians and industry executives; perform comedy; and study the management, administration and marketing of arts festivals worldwide. Bayimli plans to pursue degrees in public policy and law with the aim of strengthening child welfare practices worldwide.

Fulbright Student Fellowships

Six of Amherst’s Fulbright recipients will pursue English teaching assistantships in countries around the world. Johnathan Appel ’16 will teach in Taiwan, Claire Castellano ’16 in Malaysia, Jesse Chou ’15 in Rwanda, Jennifer Cullen ’16 in Germany, Eugene Lee ’16 in South Korea and Caroline Rose ’16 in Indonesia.

Thomas Sommers ’16 will use his Fulbright Fellowship for research in biology in Norway, and Olivia Truax ’16 will undertake geological research in New Zealand.

Three students were offered Fulbright Fellowships but have decided to pursue other options. Michael Harmon ’16 declined a research grant to Israel  to attend the University of Cambridge for a master’s degree in the history and philosophy of science and medicine. Noah Lerner ’16 declined a research grant to China to accept a fellowship from the Princeton in Asia program. Omar Pineda ’16 declined an English teaching assistantship to South Korea to accept an Amherst-Doshisha Fellowship for one year at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan.

Cooke Prize for Equity in Educational Excellence

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation announced that Amherst College is the 2016 recipient of the $1 million Cooke Prize, which will be used to fund programs and services for low-income students. The Cooke Prize for Equity in Educational Excellence is awarded each year to a selective college or university with an excellent record of admitting, supporting and graduating outstanding low-income students.