Two Indian-American students have been named 80 Udall Scholars for 2012. Malavika Rajeev of the University of Georgia and Sita M. Syal of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor were chosen by a 14-member independent review committee.

Udall Scholars are selected on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, health care or tribal public policy; leadership potential; and academic achievement, according to the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation website.

 Each scholarship provides up to $5,000 for the scholar’s junior or senior year.

According to information on the website, Rajeev received a National Science Foundation fellowship last summer to work with Prof. Vanessa Ezenwa at the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya studying disease in livestock populations in the area.
Last year, Syal, a freshman chemical engineering major, presented her work on sustainable options to reuse incinerated municipal solid waste ash at the Michigan Undergraduate Research Forum, her bio data on the website said.

She has since received a University of Michigan College of Engineering Scholarship of Honor and received a second place MLibrary Undergraduate Research Award in addition to being a research assistant in the UM Department of Chemical Engineering.

The 2012 scholars will assemble Aug. 8 to 12 in Tucson, Ariz., to receive their awards and meet policymakers and leaders in environmental fields, tribal health care and governance, the website said.

According to the website, the Udall foundation is an independent federal agency that was established by Congress in 1992 to provide federally funded scholarships to college students intending to pursue careers related to the environment, as well as to American Indian students pursuing tribal public policy or health care careers.