June 17, 2019

 Congratulations to Dr. Emily Lurier, recipient of Drexel's 2019 Fellowships Graduation Award, and to Dr. Frank Lee, recipient of Drexel's 2019 Fellowships Mentor Award! 

The Center for Scholar Development encourages and supports students who seek to expand their horizons and reach for something bigger. We also help students think critically about their choices and intentions, reflecting deeply on what matters to them. The Fellowships Graduation Award recognizes a graduating student who has contributed to this way of thinking and to the broader fellowships culture at Drexel.

Emily Lurier (PhD Biomedical Engineering '19) spent the 2017-18 academic year in the Netherlands, supported by a Fulbright U.S. Student Program study/research grant as well as a Whitaker International Fellowship. There, she worked with leading experts in the heart valve tissue engineering field to advance her research in the Drexel Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, run by Dr. Kara Spiller. Emily supports the culture of fellowships at Drexel through the work that she has put into her fellowships applications, along with her ability to reflect back and effectively communicate to a broad audience why her award experiences were significant. Her support of fellowships as a Fellowships Ambassador, an experienced awardee, and a mentor of students is admirable.

Dr. Frank Lee, a Professor of Digital Media in the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design and a co-founder of Drexel's Game Design Program, was selected for the Fellowships Mentor Award for 2018-19. This award recognizes faculty members who consistently go the extra mile to cultivate, prepare, and guide students in their applications to nationally-competitive fellowships.

Through his service on the Campus Review Committees for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and the Boren Awards, Frank has lent his time, perspective, and expertise to a number of students applying for fellowships over the past several years. We appreciate his thoughtful consideration of applications and active engagement with candidates throughout the application process. In addition, Frank has referred many qualified applicants to our office and we are grateful for his willingness to connect so many prospective Fulbright applicants with his global network.

His time and investment in the positive development of students is honorable and we thank him for his support.