Virginia Batts, a graduating senior (May, 2011) at the Earth and Environmental Sciences department has been awarded the prestigious 2011 Compton Mentor Fellowship. This fellowship promotes innovative project development and implementation in areas of environment and sustainability, and climate change and energy policy among others. This will take Virginia to the western part of India for a year-long project in collaboration with Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR) involving 1) research and implementation of water harvesting infrastructure, 2) installing weather stations and start collecting long-term climate data, and 3) develop a community oriented water resources management plan.
Virginia says: “The Compton Mentor Fellowship is a rare and unique opportunity for young graduates to apply their educational experience to some of the greatest challenges of a globalized world. While the project is the focal point of the fellowship, the Compton Foundation is also interested in providing eye-opening experiences that will shape each fellow into a catalyst for positive change. I am eternally grateful for having been honored with this opportunity, and especially for the support from friends and faculty who have encouraged me through and through. Wherever this flight takes me, it will always be the Furman years that served as my launching pad.”
Compton Web Page: http://www.comptonmentorfellowship.org/
Watershed Organization Trust: http://www.wotr.org/
It should be noted that Virginia Batts recently won the Fallow Outstanding Senior Award in the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Furman.