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Contact: Greg Johnston, 277-1816 March 29, 2004 UNM JUNIOR SEAN MURRAY NAMED TRUMAN SCHOLAR
Murray is among nearly 80 students nationwide to be selected this year as Truman Scholars. Twenty independent selection panels chose the recipients based upon leadership potential, intellectual ability and likelihood of “making a difference.” Murray is the sixth UNM student to receive the scholarship. The 22-year-old is a Albuquerque native who graduated from Albuquerque Academy in 2000. As a student in the UNM School of Engineering mechanical engineering program, Murray has maintained a 4.25 GPA. during the current semester. Murray is also co-captain and right fielder for the UNM Lobo baseball team and led the team in hitting last year with a .383 average. Tariq Khraishi, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and one of Murray's instructors, said, “I've been at so many higher education institutions. I've never seen a student that sharp, professional and dedicated; all the good things together in one package.” Murray has been creating a model to study atom movement in metallic crystals. The model demonstrates how atoms respond when force or loads are applied on a scale of nanometers, or a trillionth of a meter. The study shows that atoms respond differently on a nanoscale. Last summer, Murray traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the Washington Internships for Students of Engineering program. His research subject was hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. He wrote that hydrogen could be produced from natural gas early on to make vehicles as inexpensively as possible, in order for them to be mass-produced. The Truman Scholarship is a $26,000 merit-based grant awarded to undergraduates who wish financial support to attend graduate or professional school in preparation for careers in government or the not-for-profit sector. Murray was one of 221 scholarship finalists from 146 academic institutions. In 1975, Congress established the Truman Scholarship Foundation as the federal memorial to the thirty-third president. Murray and other 2004 Truman Scholars will receive their awards late in May at a ceremony at the Truman Library in Independence, Mo. # # # Note to Editors: To obtain a printable jpg. photo of Sean Murray receiving his award, contact Greg Johnston at gregj@unm.edu . |
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University of New Mexico junior Sean Murray had a surprise visit to his mechanical engineering class last week. UNM President Louis Caldera stopped by to announce Murray is a 2004 Truman Scholar.