U.S. Naval Academy Midshipman 1st Class (senior) Anders Gulbrandson, 22, of Orono, Minnesota, was recently selected as a Churchill Scholar. This year, over 119 candidates from 77 participating institutions competed for one of the 16 scholarships awarded.
Gulbrandson is an Orono High School graduate. At the Naval Academy, he is a chemistry major, a 2022 Goldwater Scholarship winner, and a Trident Scholar in the Naval Academy’s Class of 2023. Under the guidance of USNA faculty Cmdr. Dave Durkin and Professor Paul Trulove, Gulbrandson has conducted research involving nano-modified biopolymer composite materials, nanoparticle synthesis and applications, and ionic liquids. He has co-authored three articles about his research in the Journal of Ionic Liquids, Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, and the Journal of Materials Science. Gulbrandson has also conducted electrochemical sensor research at Vanderbilt University under the direction of Professor David Cliffel. Most recently, he conducted research at MIT Lincoln Laboratory under the direction of Dr. Gary Smith.
Outside of the classroom, Gulbrandson is a member of the Navy Varsity Hockey Team. This past summer, he was the Plebe Summer Battalion Operations Officer, in charge of scheduling for more than 500 incoming midshipmen. Last year, he was the Brigade Recycling Sergeant Major, organizing brigade recycling projects and acting as a liaison between the midshipmen and facilities chains of command.
At the University of Cambridge, Lee intends to pursue a master’s degree in chemistry, and is interested in exploring the ability to create carbon-absorbent textiles from naturally occurring and renewable sources, such as carbon. Following his time in the Churchill Scholar program, he will begin training to be a Navy submariner.
The Churchill Scholarship provides funding to American students for a year of master’s study at the University of Cambridge, based at Churchill College. The program was created by Sir Winston Churchill in order to fulfill his vision of U.S.-U.K. scientific exchange with the goal of advancing science and technology on both sides of the Atlantic, helping to ensure our future prosperity and security.
For more information on the Churchill Scholarship program, visit https://www.churchillscholarship.org. For more information about the Naval Academy, please visit www.usna.edu or their Facebook page.
