For the second consecutive year, a UGA undergraduate is among the nationally selected recipients of the George J. Mitchell Postgraduate Scholarship. Stephen Dorner, an Honors student from Alpharetta, will use his fellowship to earn a master’s degree in global health at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, during the 2010-2011 academic year.
Dorner will graduate in spring 2010 with bachelor’s degrees in microbiology and environmental health. He was one of nine recipients selected from almost
300 applicants from colleges and universities across the U.S.
“I am very proud of Stephen for this significant accomplishment. This recognition is an acknowledgment of his talent and hard work,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “It also validates the efforts of the faculty with whom Stephen has worked and studied while a student at the University of Georgia. When great students like Stephen earn these national accolades, it demonstrates the quality of the educational experience provided at this institution.”
The award is named in honor of George J. Mitchell, the former U.S. senator who served as chairman of the historic peace negotiations in Northern Ireland. Applicants are judged on three criteria: academic excellence, leadership and a sustained commitment to service and community. The Mitchell Scholars Program provides tuition, housing, a living expenses stipend and an international travel stipend.
As a recipient of an Honors International Scholarship at UGA, Dorner worked in health clinics in Costa Rica and Nicaragua for two weeks in summer 2008. He then spent three months in Santiago de Chuco, Peru, studying the health effects of smoke exposure from wood-burning stoves under the guidance of UGA professor Luke Naeher. He is co-author of an upcoming paper on the research.
Dorner founded UGA Without Borders in fall 2008, a student organization that addresses public health and economic development challenges facing underserved local and global communities.
A participant in UGA’s Honors in Washington Internship Program this past summer, Dorner is also executive director of Volunteer UGA.
