Blaisdell

Ingram

Fredrick Blaisdell ’16 and Steven Ingram ’16 have received 2015 Udall scholarships, which support undergraduates with excellent academic records and who show potential for careers in environmental public policy, health care and tribal public policy.

Blaisdell, a biological sciences major, and Ingram, an environmental science and sustainability major, both in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, were among 50 scholars selected from 464 candidates nominated by 222 colleges and universities this year. Each scholarship provides up to $5,000 for one year.

Blaisdell, also minoring in American Indian studies and nutrition, states that his career goal is to integrate nutritional science research with improving health care access for Native American and First Nations communities. He is a member of the Oneida Nation of the Standing Stone (Onyota:aka), Bear Clan.

His activities at Cornell include service as media chair of the Native American Students at Cornell and as co-chair of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society; membership in the Biology Scholars Program; and participation in the indoor drumline percussion ensemble.

In addition, Blaisdell serves as a tutor for Onondaga Nation students; has been a presenter at Promising Futures, a Native student recruitment weekend hosted by the American Indian Program; and was a presenter at a suicide prevention conference for the Native American community of Detroit. He is a McNair Scholar, and has received the Akwe:kon Leadership Award.

Ingram would like to pursue a career in fisheries management, to conserve a resource “crucial to both the livelihoods of people and to the health of aquatic ecosystems throughout the world,” he says. He is primarily interested in fisheries management through the use of statistical analysis and how such methods relate to government policies. He aims to pursue a master’s degree.

A descendent of members of Taos Pueblo and the Cherokee Nation, Ingram’s Cornell activities include service as co-president of the Native American Students at Cornell; participation in the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program; and service on the ALANA (African, Latino, Asian, Native American) Intercultural Board and in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

Ingram is a dean’s list scholar and has been honored by the Samuel and Barrett Scott Excellence Fund. He has interned at the Department of Natural Resources and served as a Spanish tutor for the American Indian Program.

The Udall Foundation is an independent federal agency established by Congress in 1992 to honor Congressman Morris K. Udall’s 30 years of public service.

Since the first scholars were named in 1996, the Udall Foundation has awarded more than 1,400 scholarships. Since 1998, Cornell students have received more than 30 Udall scholarships. The 2015 honorees will receive their awards in Tucson, Arizona in August, and will meet with policymakers and community leaders in environmental fields, tribal health care and governance.

Students interested in applying for the scholarship can contact fellowship coordinator Beth Fiori at btf1@cornell.edu or 255-6923. Faculty members are encouraged to suggest applicants to Fiori.