UNC Highway Safety Research Center Seeking Applications for $1,000 Scholarship

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Feb. 6, 2015) — The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center announced today it is accepting applications for the 2015 Megan Cornog Memorial Highway Safety Scholarship.

The $1,000 scholarship is open to a student with an interest in transportation who is enrolled full time in a graduate program, working toward a master’s degree, at any of the University of North Carolina campuses in the fall of 2015. The application requires candidates to complete a 500-1,000 word essay exploring how their field of study could be used to prevent motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries on North Carolina roads. Candidates will also be evaluated on academic performance, extracurricular and professional activities, and work experience.

Named in memory of HSRC staff member Megan Cornog, the purpose of the scholarship is to foster the education and professional development of graduate students with an interest in transportation safety-related areas, including, but not limited to, engineering, driver behavior, planning, public health and environmental issues.

Megan died Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010 at her home in Carrboro, N.C., after a courageous battle with cancer. After earning her master’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in May 2009, Megan began her career working as a project coordinator for HSRC, focusing on pedestrian and bicycle issues.

HSRC most recently awarded the scholarship in 2014 to Lauren Cochran, a student at East Carolina University who is pursuing a master’s degree in occupational therapy. Cochran works under the guidance of Dr. Anne Dickerson on studies to evaluate and improve the mobility of the older adult community. Her thesis will center on wayfinding, ways in which people orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place.

The deadline for applications is April 1, 2015. The scholarship recipient(s) will be announced in June 2015. Complete application and submission details can be found at www.hsrc.unc.edu/scholarship.