Number of award recipients fourth-most in nation
Four USC students became Hollings Scholars this year in a national competition that recognized 115 undergraduates nationwide. The Hollings Scholarship is awarded to students in the oceanic and atmospheric sciences and is named after the former South Carolina Sen. Ernest F. Hollings. Rising juniors Parker Prioleau Barfield, Drew Michael DeLorenzo, Jaclyn Kate Fisher and Craig Andrew Raffenberg bring the total number of USC recipients in the past eight years to 17, and the four winners tie USC with two of the 70 other schools for fourth place in number of recipients.
The Hollings Scholarship awards students up to $8,000 per year in academic assistance for two years in addition to a paid internship during the summer at a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facility.
USC’s four 2012 Hollings Scholars were assisted by Claudia Benitez-Nelson, director of the marine science program, according to a university release.
“The Hollings Scholarship is one of the top honors that an undergraduate majoring in marine science can receive,” she said in the release. “(It) highlights the outstanding students within our marine science program here at USC.”
The award is not limited to marine science students, however. Fellowships coordinator Novella Beskid pointed out that students of all majors can apply for the scholarship, as it serves to educate students and prepare them for a career in any aspect of the oceanic and atmospheric field.
Barfield, a third-year anthropology and art studio student, was also awarded the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Scholarship and the Thornwell Scholars award. Barfield was a research assistant in an ecological genetics lab as well as an ecological physiology lab, and will continue his studies for the next two years, leading into graduate work.
“My plans at USC are to continue learning and exploring different topics that interest me through coursework or research opportunities on campus,” Barfield said. “After USC I plan on going to graduate school and studying a field that is a combination of natural and social sciences such as ethnobiology or ethnoecology.”
DeLorenzo, a third-year marine science, biochemistry and molecular biology Honors College student also received a Cooper Scholarship, Traci Heincelman Memorial Scholarship and a marine science department scholarship. As a Magellan scholar, he works on research focusing on population genetics and investigating how climate change affects mussel populations in Europe. He plans to pursue a doctorate in marine science and work with coral reef conservation and restoration.
DeLorenzo says USC’s track record of Hollings recipients and the associated work experience encouraged him to apply for the award.
“Part of the scholarship includes a paid, 10-week research internship at any NOAA facility in the country, which is the most significant part of the program to me as it gives real life research experience leading to the publication of a scientific paper,” he said.
Raffenberg, a third-year marine science Capstone Scholar, was also awarded the McKissick Scholarship. Raffenberg has worked with marine bacteria research and is hoping to further his interest of field research on coral reefs and their rapid disappearance as well as plans to pursue a doctorate in marine biology.
Fisher, third-year marine science Honors College student and recipient of the McKissick Scholarship explained her future plans.
“I still have two years left at USC,” she said. “And I plan on taking as many marine science classes as possible as well as continuing lab work and looking into graduate programs.”
With her future goals set, Fisher explained how the scholarship will factor in.
“This scholarship will definitely help in the future, I am hoping, as a stepping stone for graduate programs,” she said. “Furthermore, the connections made during the summer internship period could definitely be valuable in the future.”
Fisher was elated when she found out she won the scholarship.
“I found out I was accepted right before one of my labs,” she said. “I was so ecstatic I ran out just to call my mom.”