2007 PRESIDENT'S REPORT

Hilary Martens — Global Scholar

For a native Missoulian who’s never lived anywhere else, UM senior Hilary Martens has a lot of worldly experience.

During her freshman year of college, she traveled to Guatemala with the environmental studies department. Upon returning to Missoula, Martens launched a campaign to raise funds for school libraries there.

As her science and math studies at UM progressed, Martens began working on NASA’s Cassini Mission to Saturn. The project took her to England in 2005 and has connected her with hundreds of international scientists working to decode the mysterious planet’s secrets.

Now she has become just the second UM student ever to receive the Marshall Scholarship — a fully funded fellowship for two years of graduate study at British universities.

Martens plans to spend her first year of postgraduate work at University College London pursuing a master’s in space science. For her second year, she’s considering the solar system physics program at the University of Aberystwyth, Wales, or perhaps the geosciences program at the University of Edinburgh.

As she prepares to cross the pond, Martens is confident that her experiences at UM have prepared her for the challenges ahead.

“First of all, the professors at UM have been so encouraging and supportive and inspiring to me,” she says. “When I see the passion that professors have for what they do, that inspires me to be excited about what I am studying.”

The University’s broad range of courses also has played a key role in Martens’ intellectual development. She graduated with degrees in both physics and music and a math minor. She’s taken courses in everything from environmental studies to nonprofit administration, humanities and ethics.

“All these different classes have helped shape me as a person and reach my full potential,” she says.
Martens also credits the Davidson Honors College with helping her excel during her time at UM.

“The Honors College has shown me the way and the possibilities that are out there,” she says.

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