Four outstanding postgraduate students awarded William Georgetti Scholarships

Four of New Zealand’s outstanding young people have been awarded the prestigious William Georgetti Scholarship, the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee (NZVCC) and Public Trust announced today.

The awards, managed by Public Trust and administered by the NZVCC, total $318,000 for 2010.

The winners for 2010 are:

• Emma Dixon – University of Otago to Oxford University; $75,000 over three years
• Tehnuka Ilanko – University of Waikato to Cambridge University; $108,000 over three years
• Rebecca Rose – University of Waikato to either Harvard University, New York University, the University of Chicago, Cambridge University or Oxford University (to be confirmed); $45,000 for one year
• Richard Zhang – University of Canterbury to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); $90,000 over three years

The William Georgetti Scholarship is awarded to encourage postgraduate study and research in a field which, in the opinion of the scholarship board, is important to the social, cultural and economic development of New Zealand. The scholarship was established as a perpetual charitable trust from the estate of William Georgetti who died in 1943. Mr Georgetti desired “that the best brains available shall receive the benefit of this trust”.

The Scholarship Board includes the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice, two people of academic distinction and the President of Federated Farmers; or their nominees.

Applications for the William Georgetti Scholarship should be made by 1 October each year.  Application details can be found at www.nzvcc.ac.nz.