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News Release

Last modified: Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Largest incoming class, first graduate take Cox Research Scholars program to new level

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 16, 2009

EDITORS: A complete list of 2009-10 Indiana University Cox Research Scholars appears at the end of this release. For more information on the Cox Research Scholars program, contact Heidi Schulz at 812-855-5400 or hmschulz@indiana.edu.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A record number of 43 freshmen Cox Research Scholars have begun their college careers at Indiana University Bloomington this fall. The 2009 freshman class joins 49 Cox Research Scholars already on campus who are in their sophomore, junior, and senior years. The entering class includes 14 National Merit scholars.

The Jesse H. and Beulah Chanley Cox Research Scholars Program offers a full-ride scholarship with a total value of more than $60,000 over four years, providing funds for tuition, fees, room and board, and a stipend for an undergraduate research projects, during which students and faculty mentors work together.

"Thanks to the generous support provided by Jesse and Beulah Cox, the program has quickly become a very important part of the educational experience at IU Bloomington," says Karen Hanson, provost and executive vice president. "These outstanding Hoosier undergraduates have exceptional opportunities to work alongside our distinguished faculty and to make important contributions to IU's legacy as a premier research institution."

A close working relationship with a faculty mentor is a signature component of the Cox Research Scholars program. Students in the program report many benefits from their involvement with faculty research. "I feel respected as I learn and discover at my own pace, while also being challenged to produce high-quality research," says John Preuss, a junior in the program from Granger, Ind.

The first class of Cox Research Scholars will go through commencement in May 2010 but the elite scholarship program has already registered its first graduate.

Jenny Troyer, a member of the inaugural Cox Research Scholars class in 2006, graduated after three years and began medical school at Washington University in St. Louis this fall.

Troyer, from Evansville, Ind., worked side by side with Caroline Chick Jarrold, associate professor of chemistry at IU Bloomington, studying O2 and O4 complexes with organic molecules. Troyer's work with Jarrold resulted in two co-authored articles published in the Journal of Chemical Physics. One of the articles appeared when Troyer was only a sophomore.

"We couldn't be more proud of Jenny Troyer, who is a shining example of the type of students in the Cox Research Scholars program," says Sarita Soni, vice provost for research at Indiana University, whose office has overseen the scholarship program since it began. "I believe Jenny has benefitted from this scholarship opportunity in precisely the way Jesse Cox envisioned it, by taking a proactive approach to her education and utilizing it to the fullest."

To qualify for the scholarship, students must be Indiana residents and rank in the top 5 percent of their high school graduating classes. Over the last four years, the program has become a highly effective tool for attracting exceptional students to IU and retaining them throughout their academic career.

Funding from Jesse H. and Beulah Chanley Cox also established the Cox Scholars Program, a separate program that rewards students who balance both work and school in the pursuit of an IU degree, just as Jesse Cox did during the 1930's

2009-10 Cox Research Scholars, their hometowns, high schools include:

Arpita Appannagari, Valparaiso, Ind., Valparaiso High School

Brett Ballard, Fort Wayne, Ind., Homestead High School

Sukriti Bansal, Zionsville, Ind., Zionsville Community High School

Sarah Bauer, Carmel, Ind., Cathedral High School

Rebecca Boyle, Indianapolis, Ind., Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School

John Bryant, Indianapolis, Ind., Bishop Chatard High School

Kevin Chaung, Kokomo, Ind., Kokomo High School

Luke Claflin, Indianapolis, Ind., Lawrence Central High School

Ryan Clodfelter, Indianapolis, Ind., North Central High School

Jesse Fedderson, Unionville, Ind., Bloomington High School North

Kevin Gardner, Indianapolis, Ind., Lawrence Central High School

Julie Ghekas, Bloomington, Ind., Bloomington High School South

Patrick Goodin, Carmel, Ind., St. Theodore Guerin High School

Aida Haddad, Bloomington, Ind., Bloomington High School North

Lucy Harbor, West Lafayette, Ind., Harrison High School

Alexander Hearn, Indianapolis, Ind., Park-Tudor High School

Crystal Heim, Carthage, Ind., Knightstown Community High School

Jonathan Hourmozdi, Carmel, Ind., Carmel High School

Mak Hozo, Valparaiso, Ind., Valparaiso High School

Bailey Hubert, Lanesville, Ind., Floyd Central High School

Tarun Jain, Fort Wayne, Ind., Homestead High School

Robin Jaing, Munster, Ind., Munster High School

Sean Kaellner, Indianapolis, Ind., Broad Ripple High School

Kevin Kokesh, Chesterton, Ind., Chesterton High School

Michael Lathery, Connersville, Ind., Connersville Senior High School

Salvator Lombardo, Greenwood, Ind., Greenwood Community High School

Christopher Mattson, Zionsville, Ind., Zionsville Community High School

Elizabeth McManus, Spencerville, Ind., Leo Junior-Senior High School

Shelby Mullin, Indianapolis, Ind., North Central High School

Nicholas Murray-Vachon, Mishawaka, Ind., John Adams High School

Meelyn Pandit, Noblesville, Ind., Noblesville High School

Priyanka Parekh, Fort Wayne, Ind., Homestead High School

Emily Richart, Shelbyville, Ind., Shelbyville High School

Jared Salisbury, Fishers, Ind., Hamilton Southeastern High School

Christen Salyer, Indianapolis, Ind., Bishop Chatard High School

Leah Scherschel, Bedford, Ind., Bedford North Lawrence High School

Emily Schultz, Schererville, Ind., Lake Central High School

Yilun Wang, Indianapolis, Ind., North Central High School

Anna Watkin, Franklin, Ind., Franklin Community High School

Jonathan Wickens, Greenwood, Ind., Center Grove High School

Stephanie Workman, Indianapolis, Ind., Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory High School

Siyun Xie, Indianapolis, Ind., Indiana Academy

Omind Zolali-Meybodi, Kokomo, Ind., Kokomo High School

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