University of Arizona Space Grant Undergraduate Research Intern David Zahn (2006-07) was awarded two distinctions soon into his first semester as an undergraduate research intern in our program.

Below an excerpt from a letter from David to Susan Brew regarding his recent accomplishments and enthusiasm about the Space Grant program and how it has been a positive element of his semester so far!

As I mentioned when I saw you, and as you requested, I'll reiterate by email that I have just been awarded the Magellan Circle Scholarship from the College of Social and Behavior Sciences. As you may already know, it is not one of the larger scholarships, however, as I learned long ago, any ladle that dishes out gravy is sweet (one dollop on top of another and before you know it you have an entire bowl full)! On Friday I am invited to attend an award's luncheon at the Arizona Inn for recognition and to meet my benefactors, who happen to be John Westly Miller and his wife Lorraine Drachman. You may have already heard of them: he is a developer working on some of the residential revitalization in Armory Park and she is from the Tucson renowned Drachman family. How lucky can I be? I have said many times that it is my desire to go to the Medical School right here at U of A, and to remain here in Tucson afterwards and practice neonatal care. I can not help but feel that the "powers that be" have heard this and want very much to see it happen. In addition, I was asked to invite an advisor, faculty member or mentor, and since my Anthropology professor Dr. Brian Silverstein had written me a letter of recommendation, he was the likely choice. I really look forward to the luncheon and meeting the benefactors - and a free meal - in style - oh boy!

In addition, as if that were not enough, 3 weeks ago I got notice from the International Scholar Laureate Program Delegation on Medicine that I had been selected to be one of 80 delegates from universities all over the country to spend 17 days this coming summer in China and Tibet studying eastern medicine. I had actually found the notice too good to be true and so ask Drs. Barron Orr and Karna Walter (when I saw them at a recent scholarship meeting at the Honors College) to authenticate the notice if they could. Although neither of them could actually do so, they agreed that it did indeed look authentic, and referred me to Dr. Patricia MacCorquendale - Dean of the Honors College - for her opinion. I went the next day to see her, and although she herself had not previously heard of the ISLP, she noticed in the papers that they were endorsed by the Golden Key International Honor Society of which she happened to be a member, so she gave it her blessing. I quickly joined Golden Key thereafter and have proceeded with the hope that it is legitimate, and in fact just today returned a scholarship application designed to offset the cost of the trip. Assuming I will go, we will visit hospitals, universities, orphanages, clinics etc., as well as all the usual tourist sites, in an attempt to familiarize ourselves with eastern medicine. My friends know that I am much more into holistic, integrated and natural medicine (like Chinese medicine) than I am into pharmaceuticals, so this should be an especially rewarding trip. There is also the possibility of getting course credit from the U. By the way, did I previously mention that the College of SBS agreed to give me course credit for the NASA Space Grant Internship? That is so far for this semester, with the possibility of additional credit for spring semester as well. Am I blessed or what?

You may know that as a NASA Space Grant Intern I am doing C14 and Be10 dating of terrestrial meteorites and lunar samples down in the NSF lab on campus, where U of A has the giant Acceleration Mass Spectrometer. I simply love it!

If you are interested in more information about the ISLP I will be glad to send you a web address. Again, as always, so good to see you and I hope I didn't bend your ear too far.

Cordially, David Zahn