Recent MSU graduate Perdue selected for major Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship
Contact: Harriet Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.—James “Brittin” Perdue, a spring semester Mississippi State graduate, is receiving a prestigious fellowship from Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society.
Announced Tuesday [July 28], Perdue is now a PKP Marcus L. Urann Fellow and will use his $15,000 award in graduate studies at the United Kingdom’s University of Cambridge. He is one of just 48 top scholars, from universities with active chapters, receiving one of the organization’s national fellowships.
The MSU electrical engineering graduate from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, said, “Being accepted to the University of Cambridge was already an honor beyond my wildest dreams, but receiving a Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship has given me the means to help make that dream a reality.”
Perdue earned several honors as a student in MSU’s Shackouls Honors College, including the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, considered one of the most competitive and renowned undergraduate STEM field awards in the U.S. He also secured a national Astronaut Scholarship which recognizes STEM students regarded among the “best and brightest” by the Astronaut Foundation.
His undergraduate research in atomic clocks, combined with leadership in engineering organizations, were factors in his PKP award selection. He also worked in precision timing research positions with the U.S. Naval Observatory, University of Alabama and MSU’s Ariunbold Ultrafast Spectroscopy Laboratory.
“At Phi Kappa Phi, we believe that supporting exceptional students today helps shape a brighter future for all,” said the society’s Executive Director and CEO Bradley R. Newcomer. “This year's fellowship recipients embody a passion for learning, leadership and service, and we are honored to help them continue their academic journeys.”
Phi Kappa Phi fellowships are part of the society’s more than $1 million award and grant program portfolio, including study abroad, graduate programs and development, member and chapter honors, and local, national and international literacy initiatives.
For more information on MSU’s Phi Kappa Phi chapter, contact Angela Hill in the College of Forest Resources at angela.c.hill@msstate.edu.
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