Charles Booher, an Honors College junior majoring in fisheries and wildlife in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and public policy in the College of Social Science, is the 12th Udall Scholar to be named from Michigan State University.
Established by Congress in 1992, the Udall Foundation awards scholarships, fellowships, and internships for study in fields related to the environment and to Native Americans and Alaska Natives in fields related to health care and Tribal public policy.
Booher is one of 55 students from 50 colleges and universities selected as 2019 Udall Scholars. Each scholarship provides up to $7,000 for the recipient’s junior or senior year.
Booher is from Middleton, Wisconsin and is a graduate of Middleton High School.
“I am very proud to be recognized with the Udall Scholarship for my commitment to natural resource conservation and plan to use this unique opportunity to help further my undergraduate education here at Michigan State,” Booher said. “I am truly looking forward to joining the 2019 cohort of Udall Scholars and am excited to engage with other scholars, alumni, and resource professionals at the orientation program in August.”
The 2019 Udall Scholars will assemble August 6-11 in Tucson, Arizona, to meet one another and program alumni; learn more about the Udall legacy of public service; and interact with community leaders in environmental fields, Tribal health care, and governance.
One of Booher’s faculty mentors, Department of History Associate Professor John Waller said, “As the Udall committee has recognized, Charlie has the very deepest commitment to protecting America’s natural heritage by bridging the current divide between environmental science and the political sphere.”
At MSU, Booher works as an undergraduate researcher in the Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey (RECaP) Laboratory and is part of the Social Science Scholars Program. He is president of MSU Ducks Unlimited and a member of the Forestry Club and Fisheries and Wildlife Club.
Robert Montgomery, director of the ReCAP lab and an assistant professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, said, “The spheres of politics and science are largely separated today which threatens the efficacy of policies established to improve human well-being and protect natural resources. Charlie is conducting critically important research to address this research-implementation gap via his formative dual-degree training in MSU’s Departments of Fisheries and Wildlife and Political Science.”
“I want to congratulate Charlie on earning the Udall Scholarship and representing Michigan State University in his capacity as a scholar,” said Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, dean of the Honors College.
The National/International Fellowships & Scholarships (NIFS) Office, administered by the Honors College, helps interested undergraduate and graduate students pursue major national and international opportunities by providing information and direct support throughout the competitive application processes.