UA Student One Of Few Nationwide To Receive Udall Scholarship

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A University of Alabama student is among a select number of individuals nationwide receiving a prestigious Morris K. Udall Scholarship.

Monica Moss, a junior from Hattiesburg, Miss., majoring in biology within the College of Arts and Sciences, was one of only 80 recipients to receive this year’s Morris K. Udall Foundation Scholarship out of more than 500 applicants.

The foundation was established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 to honor Morris K. Udall’s 30 years of service in the House of Representatives. Each year, the Foundation awards undergraduate scholarships, up to $5,000, to American juniors and seniors in fields related to the environment and to Native Americans and Alaska Natives in fields related to health care or tribal policy.

Moss is minoring in both geography and interdisciplinary environmental studies, a new curriculum based in New College that allows students to become more familiar with current environmental problems and issues, while providing them with the tools to analyze and identify causes leading to possible solutions.

Moss, whose scholarship will be used for study in the 2001-2002 academic year at UA, said the award is as much a reflection of her teachers as it is of her hard work. Moss’ application essay outlined her experience in the Alaskan tundra, as well as the importance of the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which was sponsored by Udall.

“I am truly excited to have been recognized by this wonderful foundation, and it is especially meaningful for me that the award is named for Morris Udall, who passed a number of important pieces of legislation related to the environment,” said Moss.

“I am even more honored to receive this scholarship on behalf of my professors and The University of Alabama, because of the opportunity I have received to be exposed to a wide variety of environmentally-related courses taught by outstanding educators.”

In addition to her numerous academic honors at UA, Moss was a 2001 Truman Scholarship finalist and is vice president of the UA/Tuscaloosa chapter of the Alabama Environmental Council, where she has worked to initiate a community-based environmental audit of the UA campus.

Moss is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant recipient, which is allowing her to intern in the University’s department of biology. She will present a poster of her research as a Hughes intern at the North American Benthological Society in LaCrosse, Wisc., June 3-8. She will attend the Udall Scholars weekend in Tucson, Ariz., Aug. 9-12, after traveling to Austria with UA’s Capstone International program as part of its Alabama in Austria overseas study program.