First USC Student to Receive Churchill Scholarship

Daniel J. Strouse, one of 14 students from U.S. universities chosen to receive the prestigious Churchill Scholarship, is the first at USC.

Churchill Scholars must demonstrate extraordinary talent, outstanding academic achievement and exceptional personal qualities.

Since 1963, there have been 452 Churchill Scholars in the biological and physical sciences, engineering and mathematics. The group includes scholars, researchers and teachers in major universities and laboratories, as well as leading figures in finance and industry.

Following his graduation from USC College with a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and physics, Strouse intends to further his education at the University of Cambridge, where he will conduct computational neuroscience research.

Described by professors as a student with intellectual energy, creativity and initiative, Strouse has engaged in undergraduate research projects on and off campus.

At USC, he has been involved in neuroscience research with professors Michael Arbib and Ted Berger. He currently is working with professor Bartlett Mel in the Laboratory for Neural Computation. Off-campus, Strouse traveled to India as a USC Stevens Global Impact fellow to conduct a social entrepreneurship project, and he completed an internship in China as a USC Global Impact fellow.

Strouse took part in quantum theory research with professor Paolo Zanardi at the Institute for Scientific Interchange in Italy and at the Institute for Quantum Computing in Canada. Over the summer, he was selected to participate in the Amgen Scholars Program at Stanford University.

He co-founded an open-source Web platform called CoLab that is designed to help scientists share their scientific findings.

Strouse, a USC Presidential Scholar, is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Upsilon Pi Epsilon and Tau Beta Pi.

For more information regarding nationally competitive fellowships for international study, contact the Office of Academic Recognition Programs at (213) 740-9116.

 

Read more articles from USC Dornsife Magazine’s Spring/Summer 2011 issue