Senior global affairs major Megan He selected as Churchill Scholar

Megan He ’22 is a global affairs and environmental engineering major

Yale senior Megan He is among the 18 recipients of prestigious Churchill Scholarship for the 2022-23 academic year.

The scholarships support one year of master’s study at Churchill College in the University of Cambridge, funding full tuition, a competitive stipend, travel costs, and the chance to apply for a $4,000 research grant.

Established in 1963, the scholarship program was established at the request of Sir Winston Churchill as part of the founding of Churchill College, Cambridge, a predominantly science and technology college named in his honor. It seeks to deepen the U.S.-U.K. partnership in order to advance science and technology on both sides of the Atlantic to ensure future prosperity and security.

The Kanders Churchill Scholarships, created in 2017, are awarded to applicants for Cambridge University’s master’s program in public policy. Each college or university is limited to only two nominations for the Churchill Scholarships in science, math, and engineering.

A global affairs and environmental engineering major at Yale, Megan will also receive a certificate in energy studies. Her undergraduate research in the laboratory of Drew Gentner, associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering, focuses on emissions of organic compounds to the atmosphere and their impact on air quality. She has also conducted research on atmospheric deposition at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. In 2021, she was awarded a Goldwater Scholarship.

At Yale, she is chair of the environmental engineering departmental club, an engineering tour guide and STEM representative in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and a peer tutor in the physics department. She is also active with the Goldwater Community Executive Council and the Evolutions After School Program at the Yale Peabody Museum. At Cambridge, she will delve into science policy as it relates to air pollution, climate, and energy. After Cambridge, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in environmental engineering.