UCF McNair Scholar Headed to University of Oxford

Heidi Waite, a senior majoring in Biology at the University of Central Florida, has been awarded the 2017-2018 Frost Scholarship to complete her MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at the University of Oxford.  Heidi, a McNair Scholar and a student of the Honors College, conducts marine biology research under the mentorship of Dr. Linda Walters.  Her research explores the quantity and diversity of microplastics in the organic tissue of the eastern oyster and Atlantic mud crab in the Indian River Lagoon.  In the summer of 2016, Heidi was selected to participate in the NSF Marine Laboratory Research Experience for Undergraduates at Duke University.

Heidi is excited about her graduate journey.  “It is truly an honor to be selected for the Frost Scholarship,” she said, “I believe this experience will not only propel me toward a career in research and conservation, but it will also broaden and deepen my knowledge of the world.”  Heidi is the second McNair Scholar to be awarded the Frost Scholarship.

After completing her MSc at the University of Oxford, Heidi will be pursuing her Ph.D. in Marine Biology at the University of California, Irvine, where she has already received the Francisco J. Ayala Graduate Fellowship.  Heidi credits the McNair Scholars Program with helping her realize her potential to pursue and achieve a Ph.D. and the Honors College for their amazing support.

Funded through the Phillip and Felicia Frost Philanthropic Foundation, the Frost Scholarship provides ten awards per year to students from Florida to attain their master degrees at the University of Oxford in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine.  Through their graduate studies, Frost Scholars are encouraged to contribute to the global improvement of health and scientific knowledge.  The scholarship covers tuition and fees for the one year Master’s program, as well as a living stipend of £14,553.