Three Cornell juniors have received the 2007-09 Morris K. Udall Scholarship for U.S. students with excellent academic records and an interest in careers in environmental public policy, health care and tribal public policy. And a sophomore and a junior have been honored with 2008 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships for academic excellence in math, science and engineering.

Jessie Comba '09 from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Katherine McEachern '09 from the College of Human Ecology and Ryan Walter '09 of the College of Engineering were among the 80 students selected nationwide from among 510 candidates nominated by 239 colleges and universities for the Udall scholarship.

Parbir (Parry) Grewal '10 of the College of Engineering and Anna Owczarczyk '09 of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences were among 321 Goldwater scholars selected this year from 1,035 candidates.

The Udall scholars garnered awards up to $5,000 each. The students' selection places Cornell among only three U.S. institutions (the other two are American University and the University of Montana) to have more than three Udall scholars this year. Since 1998 Cornell students have won 28 Udall scholarships.

The one- and two-year Goldwater scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to $7,500 per year. In the past 12 years, 35 Cornellians have won these scholarships.

Details on the Udall scholars:

Comba, a natural resources major from Miller Place, N.Y., has had leadership roles in a multitude of local food and environmental awareness organizations, including Roots and Shoots, helping to coordinate Earth Day 5K and developing Environmental Appreciation Days lessons. Comba also has been involved with Farm to Cornell, Slow Food Cornell, and the Cornell Dining Local Foods Advisory Board to bring local foods to campus dining establishments.

"I envision a career devoted to naturalist education, specifically working with children and adults outdoors, to help them learn about the local organisms and natural processes with an emphasis on marine life," said Comba. "In addition, I will be working toward developing a flexible curriculum for local outdoor nature education that can be incorporated into elementary school curricula around the nation."

McEachern majors in design and environmental analysis and hails from Matthews, N.C. She has led such organizations as KyotoNOW! and various arms of the Sierra Student Coalition, including its executive committee. She also was active in organizing Feel the Heat, a week of global warming awareness and education on campus in 2006 and 2007.

"My career goal is to create a world powered by clean and renewable energy sources and free from threats of climate destabilization, oil wars, dirty energy and environmental injustices, created by the empowerment and leadership of youth worldwide," said McEachern.

Walter, a civil and environmental engineering major from Denver, helped design a device to simulate water treatment processes for the student engineering group that works in Honduras to improve local water supplies, is a member of the Cornell Engineers for a Sustainable World and has been honored recently with the Undergraduate Researcher of the Year Award from the Cornell Engineering Alumni Association and with an academic excellence award from the American Council Engineering Companies.

"I intend to obtain my Ph.D. in environmental engineering and teach at the university level; specifically, I would like to concentrate in fluid mechanics and conduct research on the fate and transport of harmful chemicals and pollutants in watershed systems and then determine their effect on the humans and the environment," said Walter. "Additionally, I plan to be actively involved in clean water issues and with groups that aim to provide clean drinking water to underdeveloped countries."

Details on the Goldwater scholars:

Grewal, a chemical engineering major from Wooster, Ohio, who is specializing in chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been active on the fuel cell team for Cornell's Chemical Engineering Car Team and led the 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers National Competition. He's been conducting research on fermented cultures of various genetically modified strains of E. coli for metabolic product analysis.

Grewal plans are to obtain a Ph.D. in biomolecular engineering and conduct bioprocess research to enhance pharmaceutical development.

Owczarczyk, a biology major concentrating in molecular and cell biology with a minor in communication, is from Webster, N.Y. An editor and photographer for Cornell's yearbook, Owczarczyk also serves on the Multicultural Living Learning Unit Student Council and as the production editor of the journal Triple Helix. Her most recent research project involves extracting soluble carbohydrates from soybean seeds/plant parts, analyzing compounds by high-resolution gas chromatography and performing nuclear magnetic resonance structure analysis and protein purification.

Her goal is to earn an M.D./Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology and to conduct research in biochemical science focusing on human diseases and teach at the university level or work in a government agency, such as the National Institutes of Health.