MSU student one of 13 nationwide to receive Churchill Scholarship

Contact: Kristin K. Anderson, University Relations: (517) 353-8819, ander284@msu.edu

March 5, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Katherine Leitch’s love of community and scientific interest in relationships between cell biology and human nutrition has garnered the Michigan State University senior a Churchill Scholarship for 2008-09.

Only one of 13 students nationwide to receive the prestigious award, Leitch, the daughter of Jim and Melissa Leitch of Rockford, Mich., will complete a master’s of philosophy degree in physiology, development and neuroscience at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She plans to pursue a doctorate in the same field at Cambridge.

Leitch, a zoology major in the College of Natural Science and member of the Honors College, said she will use the Churchill scholarship to study the biology of early pregnancy under mentor Graham Burton, director of the Center of Trophoblast Research and professor of reproductive biology.

MSU’s newly named Churchill Scholar will meet with Burton, Provost Kim Wilcox and other MSU faculty on Monday, March 24. During Burton’s visit to Michigan he will address faculty and students at MSU and visit the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids.

This will be the first time that a mentor from Cambridge will visit MSU to meet a Churchill scholar prior to working together, according to the Honors College.

“The knowledge I will gain from this opportunity will help me to extend my work in the social arena, drawing on the intersection of pregnancy, nutrition and community health,” Leitch said. “In my own community many families have limited access to fresh, healthy foods. I am very concerned with nutritional problems experienced by pregnant and nursing women,” she said.

“My education at MSU has given me a broad base of biological knowledge. I’ve engaged in two major projects as an undergraduate, working as a professorial assistant with Heather Eisthen, associate professor of zoology, and Susan Hill and Diana Bello-DeOcampo, assistant professors of zoology,” she said.

“Working with Dr. Eisthen, I learned a variety of important and exciting techniques, and improved my abilities to design and execute experiments,” Leitch said. “My work with Dr. Hill and Dr. Bello-DeOcampo has helped me broaden my knowledge of animals by giving me experience with some very spectacular invertebrates and will give me experience with a type of technique that will be directly applicable to the research I will be doing at Cambridge.”

“Kate has a genuine passion for her chosen area of study. Her deep commitment for combining cellular biology and human nutrition has enabled lasting community connections,” said Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, dean of the Honors College. “She has the capacity to make a difference as a bench scientist and as an eager, willing and capable professional. This award is an appropriate recognition given her exceptional accomplishments thus far and a sign of the brilliant future that lies ahead of her.”

Leitch is the recipient of a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and an MSU Distinguished Freshman Scholarship and several College of Natural Science awards. Among her activities, she is a member of the Ecological Food and Farm Stewardship organization and the MSU Student Organic Farm.

The Churchill Scholarship is worth between $44,000 and $50,000 andcovers all Cambridge University tuition and fees. In addition, students receive a living stipend and a travel allowance for travel to and from the United States.

The Churchill Scholarships are awarded by the Winston Churchill Foundation to outstanding U.S. students to pursue graduate study in engineering, mathematics and sciences at Churchill College, University of Cambridge.

Churchill Facts and figures

• Leitch is the only Churchill scholar this year in the Big Ten.
  
  
• MSU now has a total of 16 Churchill Scholars
  
  
• MSU and the University of Illinois tie for No. 1 in the Big Ten in Churchill Scholars, with four each since 2000.
  
  
• MSU and the University of Illinois tie for No. 2 in all public universities for Churchill Scholars with four since 2000. The University of North Carolina is No. 1 with seven.

For additional information on Churchill scholarships, visit www.winstonchurchillfoundation.org/scholarships.html.

For additional information on the Honors College, visit
www.honorscollege.msu.edu.

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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.