This past week, the College received notification that Catherine MacDonald '07E, a theater and dance and history major, had been awarded a Watson Fellowship. MacDonald is one of three Amherst students to be recognized by the Foundation for 2007.

When asked to comment on her decision to apply for and on her receipt of the award, MacDonald replied, "I just walked into the Fellowship Office at the beginning of the year and asked whether I should think about applying for some fellowships." She continued, "I think [the foundation's] philosophy and the opportunity they offer applicants are really amazing-I've been given the chance to do something I would never in my life have been able to do otherwise."

With the support of the Fellowship, MacDonald plans to study the history of human/shark interactions. "My research will incorporate everything from traditional mythologies to interviews with fishermen and conservationists in trying to understand how people relate to the ocean's apex predator," she explained. "I want to collect the stories of encounters between sharks and humans, and try to understand what these encounters can tell us about our collective past and probable future."

Titled "Unsustainable Enmity: Human-Shark Interaction and Shoreline Communities," MacDonald's project will examine the ways in which sharks are being killed at a devastating rate as a result of long-term overfishing and habitat loss. "I hope the people I talk to and the people who read the stories I collect will stop and think," MacDonald said of her goals. "[They don't have to] necessarily change their minds, [or] decide to love sharks, but think about what we're doing and what it means. If humans are going to eliminate sharks, it should not be an accident. We should not be allowed to obliterate a species through ignorance and indifference."

MacDonald had much to say about the support she received from all around when applying for the Fellowship. "I received and continue to receive an enormous amount of help and support from my family, friends and professors," she said. "I am indebted to the fellowship office and the fellowship committee for their assistance as well. Of course, there's nothing too surprising or newsworthy about that."

For juniors interested in applying for fellowships, the Junior Jumpstart for Fellowships and Scholarships will be held on Monday, April 16 in Lewis-Sebring at 5:00 p.m.