In case you missed this exciting and impressive news over break: Andrew Krauss ’08, who proposed a project that draws on his lifelong passion for making boats go fast, is among 50 college seniors who have been awarded a prestigious Watson Fellowship.
Krauss will travel to Tonga, the Cook Islands and the French Polynesia to research the development of outrigger canoes and paddles. A double major in Philosophy and Mechanical Engineering, Krauss was a member of the crew team at Union.
The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program offers a one-year grant to graduating college seniors “of unusual promise” to study independently outside the United States. The stipend for individual award winners is $25,000.
Two other Union seniors, Robbie Flick and Andy Laccetti, were among five Watson alternates. Flick’s project, “Living on the Edge: Studying the Conceptual Edges of Society,” would take him to Bhutan, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu. Lacetti would travel to Argentina, Brazil, China and India for “Hear the Healing: A Cross-Cultural Exploration of Music Therapy and Its Implementation in Four Countries.”
Joey Hunziker '08 was Union’s fourth Watson nominee.
“We are extraordinarily proud of all four of our nominees,” said History Professor Joyce Madancy, chair of the College’s Watson Fellowship Committee. “It’s especially thrilling to have another Watson Fellow on campus, along with two alternates.”