WVHS grad receives research fellowship

Warwick — The Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, the graduate school of marine sciences at the University of Miami, Virginia Key and Coral Gables, Fla., has awarded John Parkinson of Warwick a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship for 2006. Parkinson, a University of Miami freshman, is pursuing a dual major in marine science and biology. Rosenstiel summer fellowships, awarded nationally on a competitive basis, is normally reserved for students entering their junior or senior year. Parkinson’s ten-week fellowship is cosponsored by the National Center for Coral Reef Research. The center’s focus is on improving the scientific basis of coral reef management, and is currently involved in studying methods of protecting and revitalizing coral growth damaged by storms, algal over- growth, and increased ocean temperatures. The fellowship requires laboratory research, attendance at research specific lectures, and the presentation of a seminar. Rosenstiel is one of the top five oceanographic institutions in the United States, and the only one located in a warm water setting. Parkinson is a University of Miami Bowman Foster Ashe Scholar and a Foote Fellow, a distinction reserved for the top one percent of each year’s freshman class. He is also a member of the Honor Students Association, an officer of the Alpha chapter of Rho Rho Rho (the national Marine Science honors fraternity), and a member of the Scuba Club, through which he received certification as an open water diver. At the conclusion of the fall semester, he was named to the President’s Honor Roll, which required a 4.0 GPA. Parkinson was the valedictorian of the Warwick Valley High School class of 2005, and is the son of Walter and Elizabeth Parkinson of Warwick.