CONWAY,
Ark. (December 12, 2013) – Hendrix student Austin Wofford, a junior biology
major from Alma, Ark., was awarded a Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
The
SURF award will support Wofford’s travel to Mexico City, Mexico, in June 2014,
where he will work with Dr. David Gernandt at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma
de Mexico (UNAM) herbarium.
“The
data that Austin will collect on Mexican pine species that are closely related
to ponderosa pine in the U.S. will be an important part of our upcoming
research paper” said Hendrix biology professor Dr. Ann Willyard. “This
ecologically important group of forest trees grows on both sides of the
U.S.-Mexican border, making international collaborations critical.”
"The
ponderosa pines are a very interesting and complex group and taking an active
part in their research has been an enriching experience as a developing
biologist. I'm exciting to continue this work and am especially looking forward
to working with Dr. Gernandt and his graduate students at UNAM," said
Wofford.
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in
engaged liberal arts and sciences education. For the sixth consecutive year,
Hendrix was named one of the country’s “Up and Coming” liberal arts colleges by
U.S. News and World Report. Hendrix is featured in the latest edition of Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change
the Way You Think about Colleges,
as well as the 2014 Princeton Review’s The Best 378 Colleges, Forbes magazine's list of America's Top Colleges, and
the 2014 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United
Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.