AUSTIN, Texas—Catherine A.J. Molineux, who was graduated in 1999 from The University of Texas at Austin with degrees in microbiology and history, and Victor J. Rodriguez, a UT Austin senior majoring English, have been awarded Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships in Humanistic Studies. The fellowships, which are awarded to first-year doctoral students, are aimed at helping exceptionally promising students prepare for careers in teaching and scholarship. The Mellon Fellowships pay all tuition and fees plus a $14,750 stipend. Molineux is a graduate of Austin’s LBJ (Johnson) High School Science Academy who plans to continue her studies in history. She currently is a research assistant at Ambion Inc. in Austin. Rodruiguez was born and went to high school in Panama City. He earned his first degree in international studies at Florida State University, also in Panama City. He plans to do his Ph.D. studies in American intellectual history. Some 85 Mellon Fellowships were awarded this year.
“Twin town” agreement unites telescope communities
The Commissioners’ Court of Jeff Davis County and the Council of Sutherland in the nation of South Africa are entering into a “twin town” agreement because both communities are homes to institutions housing world-class observatories. Fort Davis is the site of The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory and the 11-meter Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The 9-meter Southern African Large Telescope is under construction at Sutherland. Scientists and engineers who built the Hobby-Eberly Telescope are collaborating with South African colleagues in working on the South African telescope. For more information, contact Gary Harrison, press officer of the McDonald Observatory, at (512) 475-6763.