Congratulations to Rivermont Collegiate junior Pavane Gorrepati, who has received a Borlaug-Ruan International Internship! This prestigious internship provides an all-expenses-paid, eight-week hands-on experiencing working with world-renowned scientists and policymakers at research centers around the world. The internship is a program of The World Food Prize, which, since 1986, has honored individuals who have made vital contributions to improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food throughout the world. The unique opportunity is different from other study abroad internships in that students participate in original research projects with acclaimed scientists, while getting a firsthand view of pressing food security issues and nutritional problems in poverty-stricken areas of the developing world. Since 1998, over 140 interns have traveled to Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kenya, Peru, and the Philippines - to name a few!
Pavane will be at the China National Hybrid Rice Research & Development Center (CNHRRDC) in Changsha, China. Pavane will spend time in the lab, as well as days or weeks at a time in the field, conducting research and gathering data. Upon return, Pavane will submit a research report and reflection paper documenting her personal experience and the outcome of her research project.
Pavane's many science awards include Champion rankings at the 2009 and 2010 Eastern Iowa Science and Engineering Fairs for projects on alternative energy, winning her trips to the International Science and Engineering Fairs in Nevada in May 2009 and California in May 2010. Pavane's talents extend beyond the scientific realm - she recently earned a trip to the National History Day Competition in Washington, D.C. this summer with a performance about the Nuremburg Trials with fellow Rivermont students Joann Weeks, Meghana Pagadala, and Christine Mbakwe. Pavane is a member of the National Honor Society as well as the Rivermont Environmental Club, and intends to devote her life to the study of alternative energy.
The World Food Prize was conceived by Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Price. In 1990, Des Moines businessman and philanthropist John Ruan assumed sponsorship of The Prize and established The World Food Prize Foundation, located in Des Moines, IA. For additional information on The World Food Prize and the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship, visit www.worldfoodprize.org.
Rivermont Collegiate, located in Bettendorf, is the Quad Cities' only private, independent college-prep school for students in preschool through twelfth grade. For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate, contact Cindy Murray, Director of Admissions, at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org. Visit us online at www.rvmt.org!
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