Patrick Neal Russell Julius Undergraduate Award $2500

Mr. Julius is a fourth-year undergraduate in cognitive science at the University of Michigan. He was accepted to Columbia and is attending Michigan on a Dean's Scholarship for excellence in science and creative writing. He has studied physics, evolutionary biology, linguistics, neuroscience, social psychology, behavioral economics, and game theory. In the future he plans to write books, spend several years in humanitarian work, and eventually become a professor and researcher at a major university. He is also considering teaching or consulting to improve the quality of elementary and secondary school education, particularly in science, math, and critical thinking generally

Jasleen Grewal
Undergraduate Award $2500

Ms. Grewal is an international student from India, presently pursuing studies in Canada. She is currently in her first year of post secondary studies at Kwantlen University in the Associate of Science program. Within the next two years she will transfer to Simon Fraser University and begin their Joint degree program in Computer Science and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. She is extremely passionate about biotechnology and bioinformatics, and intends to build a future career that entails researching efficient solutions to epidemics and food production. In addition she hopes to help eradicate the prevalent superstitions and fears people harbor regarding genetically engineered products.

Nani Dahniar Graduate
Award $2500 

Ms. Nani is an International Ford Foundation Fellow from South Borneo, Indonesia. Supported by Ford Fellowship, she is continuing her education on masters program in Mathematics and Science Education at The University of Texas at Austin. She started her carrier as a physics teacher in KPS Middle School Balikpapan. With her colleagues, she designed a science syllabus that focused on problems solving and decision making, assisted students in critical thinking and showed them how science could be so simple in explaining mystical occurrences. She intends to use her study in a continuing effort to promote scientific methods in the classroom by maximizing her school resources.

Andrew Luttrell Graduate
Award $2500

Mr. Luttrell has a BA in Psychology and has just begun as a student in the Social Psychology Ph.D. program at the Ohio State University. As an undergraduate, he participated in his school’s speech team, winning awards for speeches given on topics such as the importance of science education and the need for skepticism when evaluating evidence for psychic phenomena. In addition, he completed an honors thesis on the psychological predictors of whether or not people engage in critical thought on controversial issues. His future research will continue in these themes, and he looks forward to more opportunities to promote skeptical thought and science education.