Cornell's Merrill Presidential Scholars Program honors 32 seniors this month and the high school teachers and university faculty members who made important contributions to the students' lives.

Each spring semester, approximately 1 percent of the graduating class is named to receive this honor by the deans of each of Cornell's seven undergraduate colleges. The scholars, in turn, recognize a high school teacher who most inspired their scholastic development and a Cornell faculty member who most significantly contributed to their college experience. The high school teachers are invited to campus as guests of the university to participate in two days of events.

The Merrill Presidential Scholars Program is made possible by funding from the late Philip Merrill '55. The high school teachers are honored under the STAR (Special Teachers Are Recognized) scholarship established in 1989 with support from the late Donald Berens and his wife, Margi Berens, both members of the Class of 1947. STAR is supported through additional gifts from alumni and friends. A one-time $4,000 scholarship is established in each teacher's name for a financially needy Cornell student from the teacher's high school or geographical area.

The 2009 Merrill Scholars are listed below by college, with their hometowns, followed by the names of the secondary school teachers and the Cornell faculty members the students selected for recognition:

Claudia N. Castelino, Manlius, N.Y.; Timothy Burns, Fayetteville-Manlius High School; Cindy Van Es, senior lecturer, applied economics and management.

Robert A. DeSimone, Eastchester, N.Y.; Jim Williams, Tuckahoe High School; Jim Blankenship, senior lecturer, molecular biology and genetics.

Alyssa N. Ehrlich, Woodbury, N.Y.; Anne Marie Bachmore, Half Hollow Hills High School; Linda Van Buskirk, senior lecturer, communication.

Miriam G. Goler, New York, N.Y.; Jonathan Weil. Stuyvesant High School; Per Pinstrup-Andersen, professor, nutritional sciences.

Alexander J. Kates, Colts Neck, N.J.; Diane M. O'Neill, Colts Neck High School; Van Es.

Steven B. Sachs, New City, N.Y.; Mary Ann Gavioli, Clarkstown High School South; Bruce Johnson, senior research associate, neurobiology and behavior.

Eric W. Shannon, Westbury, N.Y.; Mary Oliva, Chaminade High School; Katherine McComas, associate professor, communication.

Katherine Emily White, Clifton Park, N.Y.; John-Michael Caldaro, Shenendehowa High School; Stephen Morreale, senior research associate, natural resources.

Aaron K. Sherbany, New City, N.Y.; James R. Suchy, Clarkstown High School North; Vince Mulcahy, associate professor, architecture.

Audrey Z. Baker, Wyncote, Penn.; Lynn Miriello, Cheltenham High School; Stephen Hilgartner, associate professor, science and technology studies.

Emily S. Bartlett, Chevy Chase, Md.; Terri M. Taylor, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School; Jon Njardarson, assistant professor, chemistry and chemical biology.

Katharine M. Engelhart, Toronto, Ontario; Conor Jones, The York School; Holly Case, associate professor, history.

Varun N. Gehani, Summit, N.J.; Michael Thayer, Summit Senior High School; Jose M. Rodriguez-Garcia, associate professor, Spanish.

Jeffrey A. Javed, Kinnelon, N.J.; John Thompson, Delbarton School; Lee Mehta, senior lecturer, Asian studies.

Rachel E. Kulick, Pittstown, N.J.; Charles A. Schmidt, North Hunterdon High School; Sturt Manning, professor, classics.

Rifaquat M. Rahman, Mendham, N.J.; Tom Allen, Randolph High School; Carl D. Hopkins, professor, biological sciences.

Benjamin J. Warach, Springfield, Ill.; Clark Blade, Glenwood High School; David Levitsky, professor, psychology and nutrition.

Caroline L. Wee, Singapore; Fabiola Soong, Anglo-Chinese Junior College; Teresa Gunn, assistant professor, biomedical sciences.

Angie K. Wolfgang, Huntingtown, Md.; Suzanne Kistler, Calvert High School; James Lloyd, assistant professor, astronomy.

Adam Elmachtoub, Manalapan, N.J.; Erik Levin, Manalapan High School; Charles Van Loan, professor, computer science.

Tanya Gupta, Bihar, India; Arno Dirks, The Mahindra United World College of India; Andrew C. Myers, associate professor, computer science.

Julie Leviter, Northport, N.Y.; Terrence McNamara, Commack High School; Michael F. Walter, professor, biological and environmental engineering.

Michael H. Myers, Levittown, Penn.; Michael Hey, Neshaminy High School; T. Michael Duncan, professor, chemical engineering.

Joshua Z. Ng, Singapore, Hoon Hoon Ng, Raffles Institution; Charles Williamson, professor, mechanical and aerospace engineering.

Adam Schneider, Chappaqua, N.Y.; Richard Goodman, Horace Greeley High School; Robert G. Bland, professor, operations research and information engineering.

Luis P. Tosi, Culver, Ind.; Joshua Pretzer, The Culver Academies; Mason Peck, assistant professor, mechanical and aerospace engineering.

Alexander B. Bowerman, Mastic Beach, N.Y.; William F. Hennessy, William Floyd High School; Rick Geddes, associate professor, policy analysis and management.

Anne L. Whitehouse, Minnetonka, Minn.; Pat Choffrut, Minnetonka High School; Anthony. D. Ong, assistant professor, human development.

B. Emily Vosburgh, Toronto, Ontario; Patrick Kusmider, Northern Secondary School; Stephani Robson, senior lecturer, facilities management, planning and design.

April Y. Zhu, Bayside, N.Y.; Lee Karlin, Benjamin N. Cardozo High School; Charles Chang, assistant professor, finance.

Dmitri K. Koustas, Tyngsboro, Mass.; Charles Raras, Tyngsboro High School; George Boyer, professor, labor economics.

Danielle B. Rosenthal, Long Beach, N.Y.; Marsha Scherbel, Holton-Arms School; Risa Lieberwitz, professor, collective bargaining.