STT student earns prestigious Marshall Scholarship
Andrew McDonald, a Michigan State University College of Natural Science (NatSci) senior majoring in advanced mathematics and statistics, has been named a Marshall Scholar.
McDonald, who is also majoring in computer science in the College of Engineering and is an Honors College student, is the 19th Marshall Scholar from MSU.
“Andrew McDonald is a wonderful representative of the academic excellence nurtured at Michigan State,” said President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. “I know all Spartans join me with great pride in congratulating him as the university’s 19th Marshall Scholar.”
This year, 41 Marshall Scholars were selected from 1,000 applicants from 33 institutions. Nearly a third of the participating institutions are from state or public universities. The Marshall Commission provides support for up to 50 of the most outstanding undergraduates in the country to study at any university in the United Kingdom. Marshall Scholarships pay tuition and fees, personal travel, book allowances and a living stipend for up to three years of study.
“The breadth and depth of Andrew McDonald’s scholarly achievements as an undergraduate at Michigan State University affirm how deserving he is of this prestigious award and opportunity,” said MSU Provost Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. “We wish Andrew all the best in his next academic pursuit at the University of Cambridge.”
McDonald was awarded the Alumni Distinguished Scholarship and a Professorial Assistantship from the Honors College. As a member of the D-CYPHER Lab, he developed machine learning-based algorithms to control and coordinate multi-robot systems used in environmental sensing applications, receiving the Goldwater Scholarship in 2021 in recognition of his contributions. McDonald currently serves as a research assistant to Pang-Ning in the DMiner Research Lab and is a lead mentor for computer science outreach programs including Spartan Girls Who Code and Technovation.
“It is an incredible honor to be named a Marshall Scholar, and an incredible privilege to share this honor with the team of mentors, friends and family standing behind me,” said McDonald, who hails from Hudson, Ohio and graduated from Hudson High School. “I look forward to pursuing a joint MRes + Ph.D. in AI for the Study of Environmental Risks at the University of Cambridge, where I will advance research at the intersection of machine learning and climate science to inform present and future climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives.
“I'd like to thank my research mentors, Dr. Pang-Ning Tan and Dr. Vaibhav Srivastava; my outreach mentors, Laura Dillon and Teresa Isela Vandersloot; my teaching mentor Sebnem Onsay; my academic mentors Abdol Esfahanian, Jiayu Zhou, Jeanette McGuire and Jake Kasper; and the many others who have played a role in my educational journey here at Michigan State University,” he added. “Most importantly, I'd like to thank my parents, Maura and Mike McDonald, and my sister, Erin McDonald, for their unconditional love and support.”
“Andrew is one of the most outstanding students in the history of the Advanced Track program in mathematics—his dedication to the act of learning and his outstanding communication skills completely set him apart,” said Phil Duxbury, NatSci dean. “He has made a tremendous impression upon all who have had the good fortune to interact with him, and it is wonderful to see his remarkable achievements recognized through this prestigious award.”
The National and International Fellowships and Scholarships Office, administered by the Honors College, is dedicated to supporting undergraduate and graduate students pursuing major national and international opportunities by providing information and direct support throughout the competitive application processes.
Banner image: Andrew McDonald, a Michigan State University College of Natural Science senior majoring in advanced mathematics and statistics, has been named a Marshall Scholar. McDonald, who is also majoring in computer science in the College of Engineering and is an Honors College student, is the 19th Marshall Scholar from MSU. Credit: Derrick Turner, University Communications.
