Latest news with #NationalMeritScholar
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who is Megha Vemuri, MIT president who spoke out about university's Israel ties
Megha Vemuri, the president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's class of 2025 called out Israel in her speech during the institute's graduation ceremony. Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday reposted a post by the news channel Drop Site which showed class president Megha Vemuri condemning the university's ties with Israeli military and the defence industry. She said that last spring MIT's undergraduate body and student union voted to cut ties with the 'genocidal Israeli military'. Students stood in solidarity for the pro Palestine activist on the campus. She also said that suppression was faced by pro Palestine supporters especially from university officials. Speaking on the university's ties with Israel she claimed that Israel is the only foreign military with which MIT has active research ties with. Born and raised in Alpharetta, Georgia, Megha Vemuri has been a prominent figure in student life at MIT. She recently completed her undergraduate degree in computer science, neuroscience, and linguistics from MIT and served as president of the graduating class. According to her Linkdin account, in 2021 she began her Bachelor's degree at MIT and was also a part of class council. She did her high school from Alpharetta High School in Georgia and passed out in 2021. Beyond her academic achievements, she also has experience as a research assistant at McGovern Institute for Brain Research. She is also a part of Written Revolution, which is a MIT student group and provides a platform to revolutionary ideas. Before that she worked as a research intern with the UCT Neuroscience Institute in South Africa. At MIT she was also artificial Intelligence teacher and helped create a curriculam related to neuroscience for high school students in Jordan. In 2021, she received the National Merit Scholar award, that recognises high school students for their strong PSAT. She has also published two research articles based around bird species and their social behaviour.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Richland senior named National Merit Scholar
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Richland High School senior Boyi Chen has been named a 2025 National Merit Scholar and collected one of the 2,500 competitive scholarships available throughout the country. 'I am incredibly honored and grateful to receive this scholarship,' Chen said in a statement. 'This support will be invaluable as I pursue my career goals in the medical field.' The National Merit Scholarship program is an annual academic contest that recognizes talented high school students across the nation. Students qualify for the competition by completing the PSAT or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, and those who score highest move on to the semifinalist round, representing the top 1% of high school seniors in the country. Chen was a semifinalist in 2024, but did not advance. Students move on to the finals by submitting a detailed scholarship application, writing a compelling essay, maintaining good academic records, and providing an SAT or ACT score that confirms the PSAT or NMSQT results. Because Chen was accepted as a scholar this year, he earned a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Foundation. Winners are chosen by a panel of college admissions officers and high school counselors who examine each application. 'We are incredibly proud to celebrate Boyi's outstanding accomplishment in being named a National Merit Scholar and receiving this significant scholarship,' Richland High School Principal Timothy Regan said in a release. 'This award is a direct reflection of Boyi's remarkable intellect, relentless hard work, and the unwavering support of our dedicated faculty and staff.' Regan added that Chen's success serves as inspiration for everyone at Richland, and they are 'excited to see the incredible impact' that will have on his future endeavors.
Daily Mail
27-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Body of missing Princeton student found in lake just a few miles from campus
The body of a missing university student has been found in a lake just a few miles from where he was last seen. Lauren Blackburn, 23, vanished from the Princeton campus nearly a week ago, setting off an extensive six-day search effort. On Friday morning authorities announced his body had been found at Lake Carnegie. Lauren, a junior from Indiana, was last seen at Princeton's main library, Firestone Library, around 6pm last Saturday before he seemingly disappeared. 'I am deeply saddened to share with you that the body of Lauren Blackburn was found at Lake Carnegie this morning,' Regan Crotty, the university's dean of undergraduate students, said in a statement. 'It is during these difficult times that we must draw strength and support from one another and from those in our community who are available to us for counsel and care.' On April 19, Blackburn was last seen near Firestone library, wearing ripped blue jeans, a yellow T-shirt, a black zip-up hoodie and blue, flat bottom shoes, according to a university alert. Search efforts began late Monday night into Tuesday, with teams focusing on Lake Carnegie after Blackburn's phone last pinged near the body of water, 6 ABC News reported. Residents in the area were alarmed by the early morning search, as sonar units, drones and K-9 teams were deployed to scour the waters of the man-made lake. 'It's the scale of it,' resident Elizabeth Sheldon told 6 ABC about the massive search. 'Usually at 1.30 in the morning, this is a quiet parking lot and there's no activity,' she added. 'So it was highly unusual.' However, Princeton announced on Friday morning that the 23-year-old's body was found at the nearby lake. His cause of death remains unknown. Lake Carnegie, which is 9ft deep and 35ft from the shoreline, was constructed specifically for Princeton's rowing team in 1906, according to the university. Blackburn was described by those who knew him as being an extremely intelligent and kind young man. 'I have never, ever once heard him ever speak a bad word,' Karen York, Blackburn's high school science teacher, told WAVE News. Kate Robinson, an English teacher at his former high school in Corydon, Indiana, said: 'He can read a book and know everything in it. I'm pretty sure he has a photographic memory.' Before beginning his college career at Princeton, Blackburn was recognized as a National Merit Scholar in 2019, scoring a 1550 on his first SAT test and a 1580 out of 1600 on his second attempt. In the spring of 2019, he was one of 300 people in the country accepted for the Gates Scholarship, which covers tuition, room, board and books - all to attend one of the world's most elite schools, WAVE reported. 'He's just so deserving, he is,' York told the outlet at the time of Blackburn's acceptance. Blackburn toured several Ivy League universities before landing on Princeton. 'Princeton was my favorite because of the focus they put on their undergraduates,' Blackburn told the outlet at the time. 'I'm just very grateful that I don't have to worry about that and it's given me the opportunity to go to Princeton and receive a world-class education. I'm very grateful and feel very blessed,' he added. 'Princeton will allow me to study anything and get a world class education in anything.' Though unsure of what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, Blackburn's educators had never doubted his chance of success. Heartache: Princeton University held a gathering on Friday evening in the New College West Head of College House, where dozens of counselors were made available to students and staff 'I know that he says he's not sure what he wants to do, but whatever he does, it's going to be amazing,' Robinson told WAVE in 2019. 'He's a pretty great kid.' Princeton University held a gathering on Friday evening in the New College West Head of College House, where dozens of counselors were made available to heartbroken students and staff, The Daily Princetonian reported. Blackburn's death is the third Princeton undergraduate death in two years and the seventh since 2021, according to the outlet. All six previous deaths were ruled as suicides. As of Friday evening, no further information - including the cause of Blackburn's death and details about what led up to his disappearance - has been confirmed.
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Tragic update for Princeton University student who vanished from campus a week ago
The body of a Princeton University student has been found in a lake nearly one week after he mysteriously vanished from campus. Lauren Blackburn, a 23-year-old junior from Indiana, was last seen at Princeton's main library, Firestone Library, around 6pm last Saturday before he seemingly disappeared, setting off a six-day extensive search effort, according to a university alert. On Friday morning, authorities tragically found his body at Lake Carnegie - just a few short miles from where he was last seen. 'I am deeply saddened to share with you that the body of Lauren Blackburn '26 was found at Lake Carnegie this morning,' Regan Crotty, the university's dean of undergraduate students, said in a statement. 'It is during these difficult times that we must draw strength and support from one another and from those in our community who are available to us for counsel and care.' On April 19, Blackburn was last seen near Firestone library, wearing ripped blue jeans, a yellow t-shirt, a black zip-up hoodie and blue, flat bottom shoes, according to the alert. Search efforts began late Monday night into Tuesday, with teams focusing on Lake Carnegie after Blackburn's phone last pinged near the body of water, 6 ABC News reported. Residents in the area were alarmed by the early morning search, as sonar units, drones and K-9 teams were deployed to scour the waters of the man-made lake. 'It's the scale of it,' resident Elizabeth Sheldon told 6 ABC about the massive search. 'Usually at 1.30 in the morning, this is a quiet parking lot and there's no activity,' she added. 'So it was highly unusual.' However, Princeton announced on Friday morning that the 23-year-old's body was tragically found at the nearby lake. His cause of death remains unknown. Lake Carnegie, which is nine-feet deep and 35-feet from the shoreline, was constructed specifically for Princeton's rowing team back in 1906, according to the university. Blackburn was described by those who knew him as being an extremely intelligent and kind young man. 'I have never, ever once heard him ever speak a bad word,' Karen York, Blackburn's high school science teacher, told WAVE News. Kate Robinson, an English teacher at his former high school in Corydon, Indiana, said: 'He can read a book and know everything in it. I'm pretty sure he has a photographic memory.' Before beginning his college career at Princeton, Blackburn was recognized as a National Merit Scholar in 2019, scoring a 1550 on his first SAT test and a 1580 out of 1600 on his second attempt. In the spring of 2019, he was one of 300 people in the country accepted for the Gates Scholarship, which covers tuition, room, board and books - all to attend one of the world's most elite schools, WAVE reported. 'He's just so deserving, he is,' York told the outlet at the time of Blackburn's acceptance. Blackburn toured several Ivy League universities before landing on Princeton. 'Princeton was my favorite because of the focus they put on their undergraduates,' Blackburn told the outlet at the time. 'I'm just very grateful that I don't have to worry about that and it's given me the opportunity to go to Princeton and receive a world-class education. I'm very grateful and feel very blessed,' he added. 'Princeton will allow me to study anything and get a world class education in anything.' Though unsure of what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, Blackburn's educators had never doubted his chance of success. 'I know that he says he's not sure what he wants to do, but whatever he does, it's going to be amazing,' Robinson told WAVE in 2019. 'He's a pretty great kid.' Princeton University held a gathering on Friday evening in the New College West Head of College House, where dozens of counselors were made available to heartbroken students and staff, The Daily Princetonian reported. Blackburn's death is the third Princeton undergraduate death in two years and the seventh since 2021, according to the outlet. All six previous deaths were ruled as suicides.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
A Princeton student disappeared after leaving a library. Days later, crews are searching near a lake where a phone pinged
A desperate search is underway for a Princeton University student who hasn't been seen since leaving a campus library. The university's Department of Public Safety is seeking information on the whereabouts of 23-year-old Lauren Blackburn. The junior — expected to graduate in 2026 — was reportedly last seen around 6pm on Saturday leaving the Firestone Library. The university said Blackburn is 6'2, with brown hair, brown eyes, and that he weighs approximately 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing blue jeans with torn knees, a yellow t-shirt with a black, zippered hoodie, and blue flat-bottomed shoes, according to investigators. Around midnight on Tuesday, police began searching Lake Carnegie for any sign of Blackburn after a missing person's phone pinged in the area. It is not immediately clear if the phone belongs to the missing student. Lake Carnegie is on the campus and is used by Princeton University's rowing team. Along with the water search, Hamilton Township police used dogs, drones, and sonar to assist with the search, according to ABC6. According to the University Herald, Blackburn is a 2019 National Merit Scholar and Gates Scholar, who earned a full ride scholarship to Princeton. The college's student newspaper, The Daily Princetonian, who Blackburn used to write for, reported that an alert was sent to the school's community on Tuesday stating the undergraduate was missing. Later that day, Vice President for Student Life W. Rochelle Calhoun sent a follow up email saying told that support was available for concerned students. 'I will share an update when we know more, but in the meantime please hold Lauren in your thoughts as we attempt to locate him,' she wrote. "I hope that he's found soon and I hope that he's totally fine. But it's freaky, especially during this period where things are up in the air and nobody has any information," senior student Ryan Hoffman told ABC6. Officials at the school warned students they may see an increased police presence on campus while investigators continue to search for Blackburn. The Independent has contacted Princeton University Department of Public Safety and Hamilton Township Policefor comment.
