UC Merced student named as Rhodes Scholar — the campus’ first to achieve the award
A UC Merced graduate student is joining a prominent list of political leaders, scientists, authors, academics and others who have shaped the world.
Selina Brinkmann has been named as a recipient of the prestigious Rhodes Scholar Award, the university’s first student to accomplish such a feat.
The mechanical engineering graduate student was excited almost beyond words this week to accept the oldest international fellowship award.
She is among 102 students worldwide to have received it in 2021.
“It’s pretty exciting, it’s pretty exhilarating, a bit scary too because it comes from (the fact that) a lot of people expect great things, so definitely nervous,” she said this week.
Brinkmann will graduate from UC Merced in May, and will head to Great Britain in the fall to study at Oxford University.
The process is extremely competitive as the program usually gives around 100 awards to students worldwide out of thousands of applicants every year.
For more than 100 years the award’s recipients have include a preeminent list of people from all walks of life and professional backgrounds.
That list includes former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former senator and basketball great Bill Bradley, singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson (who wrote the song “Me and Bobby McGee”) and Harlem Renaissance philosopher Alain Locke, to name just a few.
“I’m just really excited to meet all the people there (at Oxford) and it will be really interesting to meet all of the people who got accepted this year, because they’re all young and open-minded people,” Brinkmann said.
“I saw a lot of them were interested in environmental issues and sustainability as well. It will be a great time to connect.”
Brinkmann came from Germany’s University of Siegen to join Professor James Palko’s lab to study water management. She focused her studies on noise pollution and wind turbines.
She came to UC Merced because she wanted a more intimate environment where professors could act as mentors. She was also attracted to the university’s focus on renewable energy and sustainability. “No other campus has such a big focus on it,” she said.
She has already spoken to some professors at Oxford and is eager to meet them in person. She looks forward to learning about her research topic, which she will work on for four years.
In the meantime, she will continue to work hard as she finishes at UC Merced, holding onto the many memories and friendships she has made during her life chapter in the Gateway to Yosemite.
“Going sailing (with Lake Yosemite Sailing Association) single-handedly on one of the boats from the club and enjoying the sunshine in the summer — that’s one of my favorite memories, enjoying life, taking a little break from working and seeing the university,” she said.
UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz expressed his excitement about Brinkmann’s accomplishment.
“Selina’s joy is something in which we all share, and we know she will ascend greater heights in the future; we are proud to know that our reputation for research in sustainability attracted such an outstanding scholar,” Muñoz said in a news release.
This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 8:38 AM.