Hope College senior Kevin Paulisse of Grandville continues to receive recognition for his excellence as a student.
He is one of only 96 students nationwide to
receive a "National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate
Fellowship" for graduate work. The fellowships pay tuition
and fees and a stipend of approximately $19,000 per year for
three years for students pursuing doctorates in the
sciences.
Earlier this spring, Paulisse was one of 900
students nationwide to receive a Graduate Fellowship from
the National Science Foundation (NSF), which also supports
doctoral studies in the sciences.
He has accepted the National Defense Science and
Engineering Graduate Fellowship, since recipients may not
choose both. A chemistry and mathematics major, he plans to
pursue a doctorate in physical chemistry at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison.
"Kevin is not only exceptional in the classroom,
but he's truly a star in undergraduate research," said Dr.
William F. Polik, associate professor of chemistry, with
whom Paulisse has conducted research since 1996.
"One strong point is the depth of his analysis in
understanding a problem fundamentally," he said. "His
thorough approach to every problem he's looked at has been
very impressive."
"In addition to solving fundamental problems, he
looks for practical applications in his work," Polik said.
One practical application that Paulisse and Polik
have created together falls outside of chemistry research
specifically, although it is an outgrowth of their interest
in fostering discussion in their discipline. They have co-
written "Discus," a computer program for hosting discussion
on the World Wide Web. There are more than 5,000
installations on the Internet of the program, which was
originally developed for use at Hope.
Paulisse and Polik have conducted research
together during both the school year and summer. Their work
uses computational chemistry computer programs to predict
properties of molecules, and comparing the predicted
properties to the results that are obtained through
experiment. Their experiment uses a laser to study how
molecules interact with light.
In the summer of 1998, Paulisse held one of only
23 Pfizer fellowships awarded nationwide in chemistry by
Pfizer Inc. of Groton, Conn., in support of summer research.
In the spring of 1998, he received one of only 316 Goldwater
Scholarships awarded nationwide in support of undergraduate
students for the 1998-99 school year based on academic
merit.
Paulisse was recently named to the college's
chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and has consistently been named
to Hope's dean's list. In the spring of 1998 he received
the college's Junior Chemistry Journal Award, and he
received the college's Organic Chemistry Book Award in the
spring of 1996 for his performance in Organic Chemistry.
He is the son of Marilyn Paulisse of Grandville
and the late Wayne Paulisse, and is a 1995 graduate of Grand
Rapids Christian High School.