Published: February 29, 2008 09:29 am      

The road to excellence

Williamsburg native secures fifth national scholarship

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Special to the Times-Tribune

Andrew Lynch, a University of Kentucky chemical engineering senior, has been awarded one of the nation’s 45 prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarships to pursue his graduate studies at Cambridge University in England. This is the fifth national scholarship honor in less than a year bestowed upon Lynch and makes him the only individual to receive all five of these particular national scholarships — the Astronaut, Beckman, Gates Cambridge, Goldwater and Udall.

Lynch, the son of Adriana and Robert Lynch of Williamsburg, will graduate in May from UK. He will pursue his doctoral studies at Cambridge University.

“At Cambridge, I hope to conduct research leading to a Ph.D. in chemical engineering with the biochemical engineering research group led by Dr. Howard Chase,” said Lynch. “With my work at Cambridge as a foundation, I hope to one day find solutions to environmental and public health problems facing communities in Kentucky and around the world.”

Faculty and administration at UK are excited, but not too surprised with the senior’s most recent accomplishment.

“I’m obviously delighted with the news that Andrew Lynch has been named a Gates Cambridge Scholar, not only for Andrew’s sake, but also because it’s further testimony to the fact that we have truly outstanding students in the College of Engineering at UK,” said Tom Lester, dean of the College of Engineering.

UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. seconded that sentiment.

“Not many students will win a prestigious national scholarship like the Gates Cambridge scholarship. To be awarded this scholarship, as well as four other national scholarships in the same year is almost unheard of,” Todd noted. “We are extremely proud of Andrew Lynch’s work in the classroom and our research labs. He is a perfect example of the type of student who will lead this university in our Top 20 mission.”

This is UK’s first student to be awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship since the program began in 2001. Lynch will join the other 44 scholars, most of them from the Ivy League and other exclusive institutions, selected from an applicant pool of 635 students studying subjects in the arts, science, humanities, social science, technology and medicine.

The four other national scholarships Lynch has earned are the Astronaut, Beckman, Goldwater and Udall scholarship honors garnered during the 2007 spring and fall semesters. To listen to Todd talk about some of Lynch’s honors from last spring, visit WUKY’s “UK Perspectives” interview program online.

The 4.0 student was also accepted into the NASA Undergraduate Student Research Program where he performed biochemical research at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Building on this work, Lynch has conducted research under Dibakar Bhattacharyya at UK for the last two years, presenting his findings at conferences around the country and in Europe. Bhattacharyya is an Alumni Professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering.

As a sophomore, after studying abroad in Malaysia, a volunteer experience with the Border Green Energy Team gave Lynch the opportunity to install solar and microhydroelectric stations in Thailand while researching the Thai government’s rural solar energy initiative.

Based on this work, Lynch authored a study which was published by the International Solar Energy Society.

Continuing to pursue his interest in science and technology policy, Lynch’s senior thesis as a fellow at the UK Gaines Center for the Humanities analyzes the regulatory implications of mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia.

Outside of the classroom, Lynch is active in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and is the UK chapter’s community service chair. He also works as a peer mentor and tutor for the UK Appalachian and Minority Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Majors (AMSTEMM).

“One of the main things the Gates reaffirms is the quality of educational and experiential opportunities available here at UK,” said the accomplished student. “From the undergraduate research to education abroad to volunteer work, every time I’ve wanted to pursue something there has been opportunity and encouragement awaiting me.”

The Gates Cambridge Scholarships were established by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The scholarships provide funding for a second bachelor’s degree or graduate study at the University of Cambridge. This includes university and college fees, maintenance allowance sufficient for a single student, airfare to and from Cambridge, and other discretionary allowances.

To receive the Gates award, a student must apply simultaneously to the university and to the Gates Foundation.

To be selected as a finalist, a student must be among the top three candidates recruited by his or her Cambridge department.

To date more than 450 Gates scholars have completed their studies at Cambridge.