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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: December 11, 1995
Contact: Mary Caffrey (609) 258-5748
Princeton University Student Named One of 32 U.S. Rhodes Scholars
Princeton, N.J.--A Princeton University senior studying philosophy and poetry is one of 32 American students awarded a Rhodes Scholarship on Saturday, December 9.
Kristen Fountain, 21, of Indianapolis, learned she received the Rhodes Scholarship after her final interview Saturday morning in Chicago. The Rhodes supports two years of postgraduate study at Oxford University in England.
Fountain plans to continue studies in the philosophy of science, which is the subject of her senior thesis in the Department of Philosophy at Princeton. Fountain is also completing a poetry thesis under the direction of poet James Richardson.
In her senior thesis in philosophy, Fountain will examine the extent to which scientists have access to the world through their theories and experiments. Fountain said she looks forward to exploring this topic at Oxford. ``This is a great opportunity to do philosophy at one of the best places in the world,'' she said.
Fountain's choice of philosophy as a major and her course of study reflect her varied interests. Fountain, who is a trainer for the Princeton wilderness program Outdoor Action, has also considered a career in environmental science or policy-making. Fountain serves as as a peer educator in Princeton's counseling program for victims of sexual harassment and assault. She is an on-air host for WPRB, the campus radio station. Fountain also serves as a member of a student government subcommittee that deals with student dining options and is a member of a student-run vegetarian eating and dining cooperative.
The time at Oxford ``will give me a few more years to explore,'' Fountain said. ``I thought at graduation I would have to make that big leap, but now it can wait.''
Fountain graduated from Brebeuf Preparatory School, a Jesuit high school in Indianapolis.
The Rhodes Scholarships were established at the turn of the century by the estate of Cecil Rhodes, a British philanthropist and colonialist. The United States is one of 18 countries that takes part in the program. U.S. students can compete in one of eight regions, either in the state where they attend college or in their native state. Fountain competed in the Great Lakes region.