Four University of Pennsylvania seniors and three recent alumni have won a Thouron Award to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom. Each scholarship winner receives tuition for as long as two years, as well as travel and living stipends, to earn a graduate degree there. 

Established in 1960 and supported with gifts by the late John Thouron and his wife, the late Esther du Pont Thouron, the Thouron Award is a graduate exchange program between Penn and UK universities that aims to improve understanding and relations between the two countries.

Penn’s seven 2020 Thouron Scholars are: 

Senior Daniel Brennan, of Miami, is a varsity oarsman for Penn’s lightweight crew team majoring in history and political science in the School of Arts and Sciences. As a US Marine and past moderator of the University’s Philomathean Society, he is an advocate for greater civil-military awareness. Mr. Brennan works on national security policy as a Student Fellow at the Perry World House. He is a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and has worked on anti-hunger issues. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in military history.

Braden Cordivari, of Elverson, Pennsylvania, is a 2018 graduate of the School of Arts and Sciences. He received his bachelor’s degree in classical studies and anthropology with a minor in archaeological science. He has continued to work at Penn’s excavations at the ancient Iron Age city of Gordion in Turkey. He spent the 2018-2019 academic year as a John Williams White Fellow at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Mr. Cordivari plans to pursue a master’s degree in archaeological science.

Gregory Forkin, of Philadelphia, is a 2019 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, physics and biology and a minor in chemistry. He was a University Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Currently, he is conducting research in neuroscience under Vijay Balasubramanian and is a teaching assistant in the math department in the School of Arts and Sciences. Mr. Forkin plans to pursue a master’s degree in pure mathematics.

Senior Natasha Menon, of Scottsdale, Arizona, is pursuing a major in philosophy, politics and economics and a minor in legal studies and history in the School of Arts and Sciences. Ms. Menon serves as president of the Undergraduate Assembly. She is also a Civic Scholar and has volunteered at Moder Patshala, a Bangladeshi immigrant services center in Philadelphia. Ms. Menon plans to pursue a master’s degree in international migration and public policy. Upon returning to the US, she hopes to pursue a law degree and engage in public service in Arizona.

Senior Robert Subtirelu, from Ronkonkoma, New York, is majoring in the biological basis of behavior and minoring in chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences. A recipient of the 2019 Clinical and Translational Research Award, he has conducted research with PSOM’s department of neurosurgery to investigate post-traumatic epilepsy. He works as a teaching assistant, volunteers with Wissahickon Hospice and is a member of Penn’s Medical Emergency Response Team. He founded and coordinated the activities of a non-profit called PACE-Project for Children’s Education that has established international educational and nutritional programs. Mr. Subtirelu plans to pursue a master’s degree in clinical and therapeutic neuroscience.

Senior Zachary Whitlock, of Washington, DC, is in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research joint-degree program, majoring in materials science and engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and in earth science in the School of Arts and Sciences. He has worked on biomimetic functional materials with the Shu Yang Laboratory and internationally at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. He has also worked at the intersection of industrial materials and environmental impact on a Kleinman Center for Energy Policy–funded project. He is a 2020 Kleinman Undergraduate Fellow and Supported Student at the Water Center at Penn. He is planning to pursue a master’s degree in environmental systems engineering. 

Maia Yoshida, of Madison, New Jersey, received her bachelor’s degree in 2018 in molecular and cell biology with a minor in fine arts. She is now a researcher in a bioengineering lab at University of California, San Francisco, engineering immune cells to better fight cancers. At Penn, she researched the molecular mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases, was a TA for a fine arts course on biological design and taught elementary school science at the Penn Alexander School. As the president of Global Brigades at Penn, she led fundraising efforts for sustainable development projects in Honduras. Ms. Yoshida plans to pursue a master’s degree in STEM Education.

The Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships serves as Penn’s primary information hub and support office for students and alumni applying for major grants and fellowships, including the Thouron Award.