UW-Madison student named one of the 2012 Luce Scholars

Lauren Buckley, a UW–Madison undergraduate student majoring in chemistry, biochemistry and French, was recently named one of this year’s Luce Scholars. She is one of 18 individuals chosen for this nationally competitive fellowship program.

“When I got the phone call congratulating me on being selected, I was first in shock, but then literally shaking with excitement,” Buckley says.

The Luce Scholars Program was started in 1974 by the Henry Luce Foundation. Its purpose is to give Luce Scholars a better understanding of Asia and Asian culture. Each year, the program provides 15-18 Luce Scholars with language training, stipends and individualized professional placement in an Asian country. Candidates for the program must be nominated and should show excellent leadership and academic achievements.

Although Buckley leaves in six weeks, she has yet to be assigned a country or a particular work project. She says she will spend her Luce year in either Laos or Thailand, and projects focusing on HIV/AIDS, environmental preservation, and working with unexploded ordinance victims have all been discussed as possible work assignments. However, the thrill of the unknown is what Buckley is most excited for, she says.

“I can’t wait to be in another country for long enough to be more than a tourist; I have much to learn from living in a village so far from my comfort zone, and hopefully I can leave a positive image of America at the same time,” Buckley says.

Buckley has extensive experience in her fields of interest. In the fall of 2009, she studied the DNA repair mechanisms of radiation-resistant bacteria, and in summer 2010, Buckley interned at UC-San Francisco through the Amgen Scholars Program. In addition to her love of research, she also enjoys teaching and communicating science.

Buckley led Special Olympiad events at Edgewood High School, taught hands-on science lessons at Biocore Science Nights in Madison elementary schools and helped Boy and Girl Scouts earn chemistry badges. On campus, Buckley also dedicates time as a chemistry tutor and serves as president of UW–Madison’s American Chemical Society.

After working abroad, Buckley plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry. She is particularly interested in global public health.

UW-Madison also had a Luce recipient in 2010-11, says fellowship advisor Erin Crawley. Alum Paul Kellner, who graduated in 2007 with a M.S. in Life Sciences Communication, spent his Luce year working in Jakarta, Indonesia, as a researcher for the Indonesian Center for the Study of Law and Policy.

– By Kylie Peterson