STARKVILLE, Miss.--The essay of a Mississippi State student is the winner of a state writing competition that was part of a recent Jackson symposium on minority graduate education.
Ernest D. Rufus of Jackson, who is pursuing a master's degree in chemical engineering at the university, is receiving a $500 scholarship for his achievement. The essay challenge in which he participated was sponsored by the Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi.
In addition to the award, Rufus was invited to read his work, titled "The Spirit of Excellence," to the approximately 200 AGEM representatives and others attending the meeting at Jackson State University.
Rufus, the son of Jinny Rufus [ZIP 39213], is a 1997 Lanier High School graduate who received an MSU chemical engineering degree in 2003. He was a Dean's Scholar while completing his undergraduate studies.
The Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi is a consortium of the state's four universities that grant the doctor of philosophy degree. Headquartered at the University of Mississippi, the group also includes MSU, JSU and the University of Southern Mississippi.
The association was established with support from the National Science Foundation to help increase the number of doctoral students from underrepresented U.S. groups. It specifically focuses on the academic areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.