Awards

Whitley Citizen-Scholar Award | Miller-Marsden Award

William W. Whitley Citizen-Scholar Award

Each June, a graduating Earth Systems student at Stanford is recognized with a cash award, honoring outstanding academic achievement and efforts toward the betterment of peers, the school and others. Mineral Acquisition Partners (MAP) has endowed The William W. Whitley Citizen Scholar Award in honor of Bill Whitley, who died in 2001. Bill was an active member of the school's Petroleum Investments Committee since 1980 and was chairman in 1987-1988. Mr. Whitley, a Stanford geology alumnus, worked for almost a decade with MAP sourcing deal flow in the Rockies.

The Whitley Award is by nomination only. Students cannot apply.

Past Winners

2009: John Mulrow (BS '09) was named the 2009 Whitley Scholar for his impactful community service and outreach efforts related to the environment and sustainability. John was a leader in sustainability education and outreach at Stanford, in his home town of Wheaton, Illinois, and abroad in Zambia.

John will receive his BS in Earth Systems with a focus in sustainable agriculture and resource management. While at Stanford, John created a student-initiated course entitled "Food, Water, Energy: Tracing Primary Resources in the San Francisco Bay Area". In conjunction with his course, John organized an alternative spring break in the Bay Area that took students to sites related to Stanford's food, water, energy, and waste. The sites included a wind farm, a wastewater treatment plant, the San Jose landfill, and organic farms. John also acted as a project manager and facilitator with FORGE and the UN Refugee Agency. John coordinated donations and developed a plan to create the FORGE Mwange Computer Lab in Zambia. He gave deeply to refugee communities in Africa for more than a year. As well, John created sustainability lessons in his home town through a partnership with School & Community Assistance for Recycling & Composting Education (SCARCE).

While at Stanford, John provided strong leadership to Students for a Sustainable Stanford, coordinated student engagement with waste reduction efforts through the Sustainability Working Group, acted as Sustainability Chair for his fraternity Sigma Nu, and offered sound advice to colleagues as an Earth Systems student advisor. As well, John was the founder and president of the Stanford Hurling Team. John was also a member of the Green Living Council, a dormitory president, and an advisor for the Stanford Community Writing Program.

John's other awards include the Dean's Award for Undergraduate Academic Achievement, a BS with Distinction, an election to Phi Beta Kappa, a MAP Sustainable Energy Fellowship, a Haas Center for Public Service Urban Summer Fellowship, a Richard L. and Patricia R. Balch Undergraduate Scholarship, a Woods Institute for the Environment student grant, and a Ram's Head Theatrical Society Service Award.

2008: Sarah Rizk (BS '08) was named the 2008 Whitley Scholar for her research and outreach efforts in reducing Stanford's carbon footprint, as well as that of the local community. Sarah is currently working at the Environmental Protection Agency after spending a year at the Global Footprint Network.

Sarah received her BS in Earth Systems with a focus in energy use and energy efficiency. She also received a minor in Biology. While at Stanford, she participated in Stanford@SEA, where she researched the effects of ocean acidification on sea urchins in the equatorial pacific. She also studied the biological effects of circulation patterns near the Davidson Seamount with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. In addition, Sarah spent her time volunteering at Acterra, where she conducted energy audits and surveys as part of their Green@Home project. Additionally, she designed and led a student-initiated course entitled "Reducing Stanford's Carbon Footprint." A primary goal of the course was to provide students with simple, cost-effective ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Sarah also spent time abroad studying spanish at the Menendez Pelayo Universidad in Barcelona, Spain. As well, Sarah was a prolific writer for "The Stanford Daily" newspaper, in which she published 22 stories.

While at Stanford, Sarah acted as a peer mentor for incoming freshman, to whom she provided guidance on academics and cultural adjustments. She was also a Student Advisor for the Earth Systems Program, where she acted a faculty liaison, planned program functions, and advised students. Sarah served as a "Carbon Squad" group leader for Students for a Sustainable Stanford, where she worked to reduce Stanford's carbon footprint.

Sarah's other awards and honors include the Dean's Award for Undergraduate Academic Achievement.

2007: Erin Gaines (BS '09) was named the 2007 Whitley Scholar for her work and efforts in sustainable agriculture and personal sustainability, both on Stanford Campus and in the community. Erin is currently working as the Sustainable Foods Coordinator for Stanford Dining Services, which allows her to continue her awareness and outreach efforts on campus.

Erin received her BS in Earth Systems with a focus in environmental economics and agriculture. During her undergraduate years, Erin received an Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Through this scholarship, Erin was able to perform research with NOAA on the socioeconomic impacts of private boating in the Channel Islands. During the winter of 2006, Erin attended the Stanford in Washington program, where she interned with Environmental Defense. During her time with Environmental Defense's Oceans Program, Erin researched past and present fisheries legislation and funding. She also promoted fisheries conservation through outreach efforts. Erin spent a semester abroad in Panama through the School for International Training. While in Panama, Erin worked on a research project entitled "Community Based Management of the Spiny Lobster Fishery in Kuna Yala, Panama."

While at Stanford, Erin was a Teaching Assistant (TA) for the Introduction to Earth Systems course. She worked with a team of student TAs to design problem sets, exams, and field trips for a class of over 100 undergraduates. She was also the President and a Project Leader for Students for a Sustainable Stanford, where she led efforts to coordinate campus sustainability initiatives with students, faculty, and staff. As well, Erin was a Docent educator at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve.

Erin’s other awards and honors include the Dean's Award for Undergraduate Academic Achievement, a BS with Distinction, and an election to Phi Beta Kappa.

2006: Martha Roberts (BS ’04, MS ’06) was named the 2006 Whitley Scholar for her extensive work and research efforts internationally on issues of sustainable development and sustainable agriculture, and for her efforts closer to home to bring a sharper focus on issues of the environment and sustainability to the Stanford campus.

Martha received her BS in Earth Systems with a focus in land use policy and environmental economics. During her undergraduate years, Martha received a Stanford in Government summer fellowship at the Stockholm Environment Institute, where she researched the integration of vulnerability analysis into development planning.  Martha also worked as a fall intern at Environmental Defense in Madison, WI researching environmental conservation on farmlands.  During the winter of 2004, Martha attended the Stanford in Washington program, where she was an intern at the World Bank.  She graduated with Interdisciplinary Honors for her award-winning honors thesis entitled “Transitions in Organic Production: A Survey of Growers in the Salinas Valley, CA.”

Martha spent the year between her BS and MS coursework working in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam as one of the 2004-05 Luce Scholars at An Giang University.  Among her many projects were an assessment of rice marketing systems and the development and promotion of wetland wastewater treatment facilities.

For her MS degree, focused on natural resource economics and policy, Martha researched the impact of El Niño conditions on rice production in the Philippines. She also shared her expansive knowledge of sustainable agriculture with other students as a member of the World Food Economy T.A. team.

While at Stanford, Martha was a coordinator for Students for a Sustainable Stanford and the Redwood Action Team.  She was a docent at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, where she assisted with the East Palo Alto Prep field studies course. She also managed the garden at Synergy House and served as an Earth Systems Student Advisor.

Martha’s other awards and honors include the 2003 Earth Systems Award for Academic Excellence, a BS with Distinction, and the 2003 Goldman Prize for her excellent honors thesis.  Next up for Martha is a year-long position with Environmental Defense through the 2006 Lokey Fellowship, working on U.S. Farm Bill conservation programs at the Center for Conservation Incentives in Boulder, CO.

2005: Erin Palm (’05) completed a B.S. in Earth Systems with joint concentrations in environmental economics and human health and environmental policy. Erin currently is working toward her M.D. at Stanford Medical School and hopes to complete a concurrent M.B.A. as well.  She has worked as a healthcare volunteer in Ecuador and Nepal, and has been an active leader in volunteer programs around the Stanford campus. 

During winter quarter of her junior year, Erin worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency preparing a paper for the non-medical public about the increasing rates of asthma in the U.S. and the associated environmental triggers.  Her report synthesized years of E.P.A. research on epidemiology, toxicology, immunology, pediatrics, and exposure assessment, and its subsequent publication is a service to the community for whom the highly technical material would otherwise have been inaccessible.

As an undergraduate Erin directed SCOPE, a volunteer and shadowing program for pre-medical undergraduates in Bay Area emergency departments. She supervised 50 student interns and interpreters and led program development activities such as a medical Spanish training opportunity in Mexico. Erin also worked as a staff supervisor for the Quest Scholars Program and was a founding staff member of QuestBridge, a program linking talented low-income high school students with educational and scholarship opportunities at the nation’s best colleges.

Her awards include a University of Pennsylvania Gamble Scholarship recognizing potential to make a difference in health care, the Lyon’s Award for Outstanding Community Service from the Stanford Dean of Students’ Office, a Richard and Patricia Balch Scholarship, and a membership to the Cap and Gown Honor Society.  Erin also received a Major Grant from the Stanford Undergraduate Research Programs to conduct a cross-cultural health care study in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Erin played for Stanford’s intramural soccer team, and was a member of both the Stanford Chamber Chorale and the Stanford University Singers.

2004: Bliss Temple earned a BS in Earth Systems and a BA in Public Policy. Bliss completed an internship in Ankara, Turkey refining the national econometric model of interactions between energy sector activities, GDP and air pollution. She taught English in a Vietnamese detention center in Hong Kong and participated in a leadership exchange program for disabled people in Mexico.

Bliss has used a wheelchair since an incomplete spinal cord injury during high school athletics. Personal experience with discrimination has inspired Bliss to advocate for disabled and chronically ill people by consulting, educating, and presenting to a broad community of health care professionals, the public and the Stanford community.

As the former Assistant Director for Stanford’s Disability Resource Center and a current volunteer at the Stanford Medical Center, Bliss acts as a liaison between disabled individuals and the institutions which serve them. She has facilitated inservice trainings for the San Francisco Dept. of Public Health, Stanford University Medial Center and the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Bliss coauthored a chapter, "General Health and the Physical Examination" for "Women With Disabilities: A Comprehensive Guide to Care," by Sandra Welner, MD and served as an assistant medical editor for the book. As a consultant to the US Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health, Bliss is developing online resources for adolescent girls with disability or chronic illness.

Bliss served as the President of The Disabled Students at Stanford for three consecutive years. In 1996, Bliss was honored with the James W. Lyons award for Service to the Stanford Community.

Through her academic, philanthropic and professional endeavors, Bliss has learned to analyze social outcomes and understand interrelationships in systems of all kinds. She intends to apply these skills to her pursuit of a medical degree.

2003: Karen Hyun is pursuing her M.S. in Earth Systems with a focus in Oceanography and Marine Public Policy. She received her B.S. in Earth Systems in 2000 with a focus in Biological Systems. As an undergraduate, Karen participated in an intense, onshore semester program studying oceanography, nautical science, and maritime studies with Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, MA. While there, she conducted oceanographic research on petroleum pollution in the Atlantic Ocean, onboard the SSV Westward.

Among Karen’s awards are a Fulbright Scholarship in Pukyong National University, Busan, South Korea studying Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management, the only two-time winner of the University Centennial TA Award, the Earth Sciences Teaching Assistant Award, awarded the Robert Deidrick Fund Scholarship from the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Placer County, CA.

Karen was a Family Adventures Counselor with the Stanford Alumni Association, a Colorado River Expedition Member, the Head Program Teaching Assistant and a Student Advisor, Earth Systems Program, and Staff Director at Stanford Sierra Camp.

Her community service activities include Head Coach, Stanford Women’s Ultimate Frisbee, an Emergency Medical Technician-B, Foothill Community College, a member of the Graduate Student Advisory Committee, a member of Youth Lead Board of Directors (Leadership building and environmental science curriculum guidance for high-school students), and taught elementary school children in East Palo Alto about environmental issues (Students on Environmental Education).

2002: Audrey Chang has a B.S. in Earth Systems, with Departmental and Interdisciplinary Honors and an M.S. in Engineering, Energy Engineering. Her honors thesis is entitled "Green Meets Green: A Study of Energy Consumption in Stanford University Buildings."

Audrey is currently a Manager at Energy Solutions, Oakland, CA where she directs the LEED™ green building certification of the Sun Field Station at Stanford University; manages and supervises the administration of the Cool Roof Rating Council; develops and promotes credible rating system for radiative performance of roof surfaces; educates end-users and code bodies of the economic and environmental benefits of cool roofing; and oversees member services.

She was also the Sustainable Building Guidelines Lead Author for Stanford Land and Buildings and co-wrote Stanford Guidelines for Sustainable Buildings, for sustainable design, construction, and operation of Stanford University facilities. She was a Civil Engineering Teaching Assistant, Stanford; a Photovoltaics Research Intern, Solar Electric Power Association, Washington, DC.; and a Green Building Research Intern, WorldBuild Technologies, San Francisco.

In addition, Audrey was a Coordinator/Teaching Assistant, Eastside College Preparatory Field Studies, East Palo Alto where she directed a team of four teaching assistants in ecological field studies program for underprivileged middle and high school students and a Green Building Conference Organizer planning the symposium, "Greening the Universities: A Focus on Buildings."

Her awards include a LEED™ 2.0 Accredited Professional, U.S. Green Building Council and the Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award for distinctive contributions to undergraduate education.

Miller-Marsden Award for Innovative Research on the Environment

The Miller-Marsden Prize for Innovative Research on the Environment prize is named for two former faculty members in the Petroleum Engineering Department, (the late) Professor Frank Miller and Professor Emeritus Sully Marsden. It carries a prize of $1000.

Earth Systems students who have undertaken innovative research (internship, MS research, honors) on an environmental topic and who want to submit the written results of that work for prize consideration are invited to do so. A self-nomination package should include the research paper and a brief letter defending its "innovative" character (4 copies of each). All candidates should be prepared to give an oral presentation on the results of their research, as the winner may be asked to do so.

Miller-Marsden submissions are due late spring quarter to Julie Kennedy.

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