Engineering, Honors College student named a 2018 Truman Scholar

Paige Rudin
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Paige Rudin, a junior at Purdue University, has been named a 2018 Truman Scholar, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation announced Thursday (April 12).

Rudin, who is studying in the Honors College and College of Engineering, is a native of Carmel, and is majoring in multidisciplinary engineering with a concentration in veterinary health engineering and a minor in global engineering studies. She plans to blend veterinary medicine with public health to combat zoonotic diseases, which are transferred between animals and humans.

“The Truman Scholarship represents an open door to continue pursuing an education that crosses traditional disciplinary lines. By combining degrees in public health and veterinary medicine with my engineering background, I will expand my knowledge of issues threatening animal, human and environmental health in both breadth and depth,” Rudin said. “We need more technically steeped voices guiding our country's policies, and I am excited for the opportunity to add mine to the mix."

Rudin worked with students at the University of Anténor Firmin in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, on best practices for water sanitization through a service learning project at Purdue. She has helped start a relationship between the Gift of Water foundation, which develops portable water sanitation systems, and the local university. She has also served as the president of Purdue Biomakers and is a student ambassador for the College of Engineering. Rudin’s additional development experiences include working as a National Defense University analyst, an intern for Purdue’s Internationally Genetically Engineered Machine team and a design lead for Engineering Projects in Community Service.

“Paige is an excellent student who represents the pillars of the Honors College,” said Rhonda Phillips, dean of the Honors College. “Her public service in Haiti shows that she is committed to improving lives on a global stage while her ability to merge engineering concepts with solutions to complex health problems shows that she has embraced the Honors College mission of interdisciplinary academic achievement.”

"We are very proud of Paige’s taking her education at Purdue engineering to multiple worthy causes in public service,” said Mung Chiang, dean of the College of Engineering. “She has demonstrated creativity and leadership in our EPICS and global engineering programs. As a Boilermaker engineer and a Truman Scholar, Paige will no doubt continue to make a positive impact on the lives of many in our country and beyond.”

Rudin was one of 59 scholars selected from a pool of 756 applicants. The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation focuses on students in their junior year of college who are committed to pursuing a career in public service. The scholarship was established in 1975 in honor of then-president Harry Truman and provides up to $30,000 per scholar for graduate-level studies.

Purdue students interested in pursuing competitive, external scholarships and grants are encouraged to visit the National and International Scholarships Office. 

Writer: Bob Mills, mills144@purdue.edu 

Sources: Paige Rudin, rudin@purdue.edu

Rhonda Phillips, rphillips@purdue.edu

Mung Chiang, chiang@purdue.edu 

Media contact: Joseph Paul, 765-494-9541, paul102@purdue.edu