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

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Feb. 3, 2016) ─ The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center announced today it is accepting applications for the 2016 Megan Cornog Memorial Highway Safety Scholarship.

The $1,000 scholarship is open to students who will be working toward a master’s degree at any of the University of North Carolina campuses in fall 2016. (This includes students in the first several years of a combined master’s/Ph.D. program.) Candidates will be asked to contribute 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 environment.

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.

The scholarship was established in 2006 and is awarded annually. HSRC most recently awarded the scholarship in 2015 to Hallie Clark, a North Carolina State University (NCSU) student pursuing a master’s degree in human factors and applied cognition. Her research interests include autonomous driving, attention and spatial cognition, human-computer interaction and interface design.

The deadline for applications is April 1, 2016. The scholarship recipient(s) will be announced in June 2016. Complete application and submission details can be found at www.hsrc.unc.edu/scholarship.

###