Press Releases

May 26, 2000
Frankel Scholarships for Marine Science Announced

Contact:
Jane Finalborgo
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081

Two of the top students in the Marine Science Program at Southampton College of Long Island University have been awarded $4,000 scholarships by the Evan Frankel Foundation based in East Hampton. The scholarships are part of a new $40,000 grant to the College from the Foundation.

With this new grant, the Frankel Foundation has given a total of $128,000 to the Marine Science Program starting in 1997, from which 28 scholarships have been awarded to date.

The Spring 2000 scholarships will allow the winners, Tara Melkonian of Baldwin, NY, and Andrew N. Evans of Richmond, Kentucky, to participate in hands-on learning experiences around the world through the College's internship and experiential education programs.

Ms. Melkonian, a Junior Marine Biology Major, will use her scholarship to help fund her participation in Tropical Marine Biology, Southampton's month-long course in the South Pacific. There she will pursue her interest in coral reefs and their global importance as diverse and sensitive ecosystems.

"I have lived on Long Island all my life and so I have been privileged to spend my life within minutes from the ocean," she said. "The beauty and secrets of the ocean have always intrigued me.The more I learn and see within and around the ocean, the more I want to know. It is simply not enough to know what fish I am watching on a dive; I have a desire to know why it acts the way it does."

Mr. Evans, also a Marine Biology major, has developed an interest in shark biology and behavior. He plans to use his Frankel Scholarship to help fund his internship at the Bodega Bay Marine Laboratory in California working with Dr. Peter Klimley, a renowned shark biologist.

"This internship is the perfect opportunity for me to learn valuable skills such as the basics of marine tracking devices, DNA comparison, and mathematical analysis of data," he said.

The Evan Frankel Foundation was established in April 1991. The late Evan Frankel, who received an Honorary Degree from Southampton College in 1982, was instrumental in founding the Jewish Center of the Hamptons and was active in the East End community for more than 50 years. Andrew Sabin, a prominent East End businessman and environmentalist, is a member of the Foundation's Board of Directors.

The Foundation's primary emphasis is in higher education, the humanities, and the environment. In addition to the 28 Marine Science Scholarships, the Foundation has also awarded $30,000 to the College's English and Writing Program to underwrite the Circle of Distinguished Authors.

Southampton College's Marine Science Program is nationally recognized for its excellence and has produced a total of 32 Fulbright Scholars, two Udall Scholars and a Marshall Scholar in the past 25 years.