David Smyth, a UI senior majoring in mathematics, is among 11 students nationwide to receive a Churchill Scholarship for study at Cambridge University, in Cambridge, England.
The prestigious scholarship is awarded for outstanding academic and extracurricular accomplishments by the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States to American undergraduate students planning to pursue graduate studies in science, mathematics, and engineering at Cambridge's Churchill College. Valued at $27,000, the scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses at Cambridge. Now in its 40th year, the scholarship was established by American friends and admirers of the former British leader.
Smyth, of Urbana, plans to pursue a certificate in the advanced study of mathematics at Cambridge, and intends to study dynamical systems theory, combinatorics and number theory to advance his research interests in complex systems theory. According to the Churchill Foundation, that program of study is "the most sought-after program and the competition for winning a scholarship for that program is especially intense."
As an undergraduate at Illinois, Smyth earned a perfect grade-point average and conducted research with support from the Campus Honors program, the National Science Foundation, and the National Security Agency. He also studied abroad in Hungary as a recipient of a National Security Education David L. Boren Scholarship. His extracurricular interests include choral music, literature, and long-distance running. He also does volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity, Physics Van, and Matthew House.
The Office of Scholarships for International Study is recruiting applicants for 2004-2005 awards with a preliminary deadline of June 6.
