Karen Copeland ’23 named a 2023-24 Churchill Scholar

The environmental engineer will pursue a degree in public policy at Churchill College, Cambridge.

Jan 26 2023
Karen Copeland

Karen Copeland ’23 has been named a 2023-24 Churchill Scholar. The senior, a major in earth and environmental engineering, is among 18 Churchill Scholars selected, including Brian Jiang CC’23 from Columbia College. It is the first time that Columbia has seen two Scholars named in the same year. The Churchill Scholarship provides funding for one year of postgraduate study at Churchill College, Cambridge.

Karen hails from the state of Florida and is also pursuing a minor in computer science. Her research engagement includes work in the Yip Lab, where she works on temperature-swing solvent extraction (TSSE), a novel desalination technique that is promising because of its lower energy consumption. Early in her undergraduate career, Karen interned at the Columbia Earth Institute, where she used remote sensing to characterize water quality in the Long Island Sound. More recently, she has interned with Hazen and Sawyer, a water and wastewater engineering firm serving a wide array of clients including the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Outside of her research interests, Karen is committed to pursuing classical piano and voice. She participates in the Music Performance Program (MPP) and has joined vocal extracurriculars like the Barnard Columbia Chorus, Bach Society, and the New Opera Workshop. Selected as a Kanders Churchill Scholar, Karen will pursue a degree in public policy at Cambridge. She seeks to use her training to tackle pressing environmental issues, focusing on sustainable water management.

Established in 1963 at the request of Sir Winston Churchill, the Churchill Scholarship was inspired by Churchill’s vision for a US-UK partnership that would support the advancement of science and technology in both countries.

For more information about the Churchill Scholarship, please reach out to Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.

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