UND student and Mounds View High graduate Sydney Menne wins international scholarship

Sydney Menne, a 2019 graduate of Mounds View High School and a native of Shoreview, Minn., has won a DAAD-RISE Germany scholarship to complete a summer research internship at a top research institution in Germany.

Menne is a sophomore at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D., who is majoring in physics and astrophysics. She intends to pursue a Ph.D. in astrophysics and already has conducted independent research on supernovae and nearby stars through various UND undergraduate research programs.

Sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, DAAD-RISE Germany matches undergraduates with a host university or institute according to the student’s area of interest.

The program gives students a monthly stipend for three months to help cover living expenses, while the host universities and institutes provide housing assistance.

“Conducting research internationally is a big dream of mine, and I am so excited and thankful for the opportunity,” Menne said.

“To be able to study something I am passionate about and something that could have significant implications on our understanding of the universe is incredible, and this experience could play a significant role in my future research career.”

Marveled Yee Han Chu, Academic Support and Fellowship Opportunities Coordinator at UND, “What can Sydney not do?

“She is a hard-working, focused, self-aware, and gifted young researcher,” Chu added. “Her intellectual capacity to understand abstract concepts is quite advanced for her age, and she also has the social intelligence to relate well to others in a humble and endearing way.

“I am so happy that Sydney received this opportunity to study in Münster, Germany. What a wonderful learning experience!

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