Six From Arts and Sciences Win Thouron Awards to Study in Britain

One Penn Arts and Sciences alumna and five College seniors have received Thouron Awards to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom. The scholarship recipients are:

•    Anna Carapellotti, LPS’15, who majored in cognitive science with a neuroscience concentration. A former professional ballet dancer, Carapellotti is applying to the University of Belfast to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology. She hopes to study the effects of dance therapy on patients with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease through the school’s Movement Innovation Lab.

•    Cole Hurwitz, C’17, a logic/information major from Portland, Ore., will study machine learning and conduct independent research in applied computer science as related to autism spectrum disorder in the Institute of Adaptive and Neural Computation at the University of Edinburgh. He is a member of the Penn men's swimming and diving team.

•    Joseph Kiernan, C’17, from Haddonfield, N.J., is studying diplomatic history and political science. In graduate school he hopes to study historical international relations and its application for contemporary foreign relations, particularly in Asia and the Pacific. Kiernan is a University Scholar with research focused on Cold War Asian international relations. He has served as vice president of the Penn Government and Politics Association.

•    Suzy Landon, C’17, from Newton, Mass., is majoring in health and societies with a minor in chemistry. She works as an undergraduate research assistant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Landon was a Thouron Summer Research Prize recipient in 2015 and spent last summer conducting epidemiological research at Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva, Israel. She served as co-chair for Penn Hillel’s community service organization Tzedek Social Justice. Landon is applying to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to pursue a master’s in public health.

•    Kate Samuelson, C’17, LPS’17, from Katy, Texas, is pursuing a bachelor’s in political science and a Master of Public Administration degree. She is a Civic Scholar, a 2016 Dean's Scholar, co-president of the Penn Childhood Cancer Coalition, co-president of the Penn Women's Political League, co-editor-in-chief of Sound Politicks, external vice-president of Penn synchronized swimming, and a dancer in the Penn Yalla Middle Eastern Dance and Drum Troupe. Samuelson also works part-time at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Penn School of Social Policy and Practice, and the United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia. Through the John Thouron Summer Prize, she conducted research on NGOs in Central America dedicated to pediatric-cancer research at the University of Cambridge. In graduate school, she plans to study social innovation in health.

•    Tshay Williams, C’17, from Amityville, N.Y., studies sociology and Africana studies. On campus she has been involved with the Vagina Monologues and Dana Howe Scholars and is a member of the Excelano Project. Her interests lie at the intersection of arts and social impact. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in visual anthropology.

The Thouron Award, a graduate exchange program between Penn and British universities, aims to improve relations between the United States and the U.K. Scholarship winners each receive tuition and stipends for one or two years depending on the time required to earn a graduate degree. The Thouron Award was established and is supported by gifts from Sir John Thouron and the late Esther du Pont, Lady Thouron, of Unionville, Pa. Graduating Penn seniors, current Penn graduate or professional students, and recent Penn graduates who are U.S. citizens are eligible to apply.