Kristen Frederick '00 was one of 60 undergraduates nationwide recently selected to receive a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.

Frederick's $22,000 award will support a year of travel and research in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Peru, China and Egypt to investigate the way past cultures understood time, the way they performed experiments and measurements related to astronomy and the models they constructed of the universe.

"With the Watson Fellowship, I, too, can commence upon a journey that will lead me to ponder the significance of the cosmos," Frederick said. "I anticipate that this experience will fill me with an appreciation for the unsung creators of astronomy and lead me to question the origins of our current ideology."

A dean's list physics major, Frederick completed independent studies on the science of radio and robotics at Bates. During the summer after her junior year, she worked in the University of Michigan Space Physics Research Laboratories on a rocket payload intended to study hydrogen emissions from Jupiter's upper atmosphere. This work inspired her independent senior thesis at Bates on attitude control systems of spacecraft.

The Thomas J. Watson Foundation this year considered 184 candidates nominated by 49 private, liberal arts colleges noted for their quality and commitment to undergraduate education. The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program seeks to recognize individuals who demonstrate integrity, strong ethical character, intelligence, the capacity for vision and leadership and potential for humane and effective participation in the world community.