Senior Honors student and geography major Eric Burton has received a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship. This award included a large academic stipend and an internship this past summer at NOAA’s Princeton, New Jersey, facility.
Eric is making the most of the University Honors curriculum built on international travel and thesis research; he is doing undergraduate research in Peru with Dr. Baker Perry in the Department of Geography. Elisabeth Wall reports, “Burton has taken two study-abroad trips to Peru trekking through the Andes, exploring Machu Picchu and learning about the culture and people of the Andes. His second trip included a research expedition onto a glacial icecap. ‘We look at precipitation there. We’ve installed weather stations,’ he said, ‘and (back at Appalachian) I watch that data and determine patterns that result in precipitation and contribute to glacier health or decline.” Building on this, Wall further reports that “Burton’s 10-week paid internship at Princeton focused on checking weather models for accuracy and mapping predictions for the southern hemisphere.” Congratulations Eric! These accomplishments highlight the best in Honors opportunities.
For full feature story by Elisabeth Wall from University News, click here.
Photo by Marie Freeman
