Allison Murawski 鈥�12 and Julie King 鈥�12 earn Fulbright Scholarships
by Matt Getty
May 11, 2012
For Murawski, the experience will build on research opportunities she鈥檚 had as a double major in biology and biochemistry & molecular biology. In addition to working with Associate Professor of Biology David Kushner on mapping the structure of RNA in the turnip crinkle virus to determine what makes the virus infectious, she spent a summer at the University of Tennessee probing the miRNAs of plants to determine how they respond to low levels of oxygen.
鈥淣ot many undergraduates get to have those kinds of research opportunities,鈥� says Murawski, a Turnersville, N.J., resident who also ran on the track and field team, minored in German and studied abroad in England. 鈥淚t really helped me to think for myself in the lab because we were asking questions that didn鈥檛 have definite answers.鈥�
The research experiences also helped open the door to applying for the Fulbright. At first, Murawski admits, she was intimidated by the process, but working closely with faculty encouraged her.
鈥淧rofessor Kushner really pushed me to apply, and because he had confidence in me, that gave me the motivation to do it,鈥� she says, noting that those close student-faculty relationships also paid off when it was time to collect letters of recommendation for her application. 鈥淩eally getting to know my professors gave me an advantage. Because I worked in the lab with them, they got to know me as an individual, which is important.鈥�
King took the first steps toward her Fulbright during her year in Bremen through the Dickinson in Germany program. 鈥淚 just loved it there and knew I wanted more,鈥� she explains, noting that spending entire days communicating solely in German greatly increased her fluency. 鈥淎t the beginning I鈥檇 be sitting in a political-science class taught entirely in German and feel like, 鈥榃hat is happening?鈥� But by the end of the year, I could write a 20-page paper in German with no problem.鈥�
Like Murawski, King credits faculty with helping her through the arduous Fulbright application process. She worked closely with Associate Professor of History Jeremy Ball and Associate Professor of Physics Lars English, the college鈥檚 Fulbright advisors, to perfect her personal statement and statement of grant purpose.
鈥淚t takes a lot of editing to get your application ready,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut Dickinson really helps groom you.鈥�
Both King and Murawski plan to use their Fulbright experiences to refine their future plans. King hopes to find out if she has a long-term interest in teaching and is considering pursuing graduate school in Germany when her Fulbright ends next summer. Murawski, who originally planned to go to medical school after Dickinson, has begun to consider incorporating research into her future beyond the Fulbright.
鈥淚鈥檝e given some thought to M.D.-Ph.D. programs, which enable you to combine research and medical school,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a ton of schooling, but if it鈥檚 what you love to do, it鈥檚 worth the time.鈥�