John Dickson, a junior from Gaffney, and Michael Vagnini, a sophomore from Winter Springs, Fla., both received Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships. Lindsay Woolf, a junior from Taylors, was named a Harry S Truman Scholar, and Adrienne DuBois, a junior from Murfreesboro, Tenn., was awarded a Morris K. Udall Scholarship.

Students at approximately 2,400 American colleges and universities were eligible to apply for the three awards, and only 17 institutions had winners in all three competitions. Those schools included Vanderbilt, Villanova, University of Washington and Ivy League members Brown, Cornell, Princeton and Yale. Furman and Swarthmore College were the only two liberal arts schools among the 17.

Woolf was one of 75 students to receive the Truman Scholarship, which provides $30,000 for graduate study. It is awarded to students who have excelled academically and are committed to careers in public service. The scholarship program was established in 1975 to honor Harry S Truman, the nation's 33rd president.

The Goldwater Scholarships, worth $7,500 per year, are awarded to students who intend to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. Nearly all the scholarship recipients intend to earn a Ph.D. degree in their fields of study. There were a total of 320 scholarships awarded for the 2005-06 academic year. The program, established in 1986, honors the late Sen. Barry M. Goldwater.

The Udall Scholarship Foundation awards 80 merit-based scholarships of up to $5,000 to college sophomores and juniors who have demonstrated a commitment to pursuing careers related to the environment. The program was established in 1992 to honor the late Morris Udall's 30 years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives.

For more information, contact Furman's News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107. John Dickson - Dickson, a chemistry major at Furman, is a South Carolina Palmetto Fellow and holds the R.E. Littlejohn Scholarship. He is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, the Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Medical Honor Society, the Collegiate Educational Service Corps, the American Chemical Society and the Baptist College Ministries. He is also currently serving as teaching assistant in the Furman Chemistry Department. After graduating from Furman, he plans to pursue M.D. and Ph.D. degrees with a concentration in molecular neurobiology/neurology. A 2002 graduate of Gaffney High School, where he was valedictorian, he is the son of Linda Dickson of Gaffney.

Adrienne DuBois - DuBois is a biology major at Furman who plans to pursue a Ph.D. in ecology after graduation. She is president of the Environmental Action Group, a student organization devoted to environmental causes, as well as a member of the College Democrats. She is also an opinions writer for the student newspaper, The Paladin. She holds the Bell Tower Scholarship at Furman, and is a member of Phi Eta Sigma and Beta Beta Beta, the Biology Honor Society. She recently participated in a foreign study trip to Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with the Furman Biology Department. A 2002 graduate of Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, where she was valedictorian, she is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. John DuBois of Murfreesboro.

Michael Vagnini - Vagnini is a sophomore double majoring in chemistry and Spanish. He has been awarded a number of academic scholarships, including the James B. Duke Scholarship, the Order Sons of Italy in America Scholarship and the Robert C. Byrd Scholarship. At Furman, he is involved in chemistry research and is a member of the Center for the Theological Exploration of Vocation. He is a Hispanic Affairs Volunteer at the Northwest Crescent Center, and teaches intermediate Spanish in the Furman University Learning in Retirement program. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree in biochemical science. A 2003 graduate of Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Fla., where he was valedictorian, he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Vagnini of Winter Springs.

Lindsay Woolf - Woolf is a French and political science major at Furman. She has served as executive director of the Furman Television Station and vice president of Phi Sigma Iota, the Foreign Language Honor Society. She has studied abroad in both France and China, and participated in a two-week international service project in Cuba. She is a member of the French Club, the Collegiate Educational Service Corps and the College Democrats. She is also a Duke Scholar at Furman and a member of Phi Eta Sigma, the freshman honor society. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master's degree in public health. A 2002 graduate of Milton High School in Alpharetta, Ga., where she was the salutatorian, she is the daughter of Paula and Steven Woolf of Taylors.

(Photos provided by Furman Universtiy.)

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