The Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society, celebrating its 30th Year of providing exceptional educational opportunities and experiences for outstanding individuals, has announced two new scholars for 2004. Joseph Hoyt has been named North American Rolex Scholar, while Phoebe Rudonimo-Dusiacka is the European Rolex Scholar.
Hoyt, a resident of North Carolina, has spent a large part of his life near, around and under the water in the Midwest. After learning to dive at the age of 15, he followed his father’s lead and enrolled in an underwater archaeology program at Bowling Green University. He quickly took to mapping and exploring shipwrecks, eventually moving to North Carolina where he attended East Carolina University and continued his diving education.
Joseph is a NAUI Instructor and PADI Divemaster who continues to train divers and participate in underwater research. He has been part of the team on several dives on the USS Monitor and helps to coordinate graduate research for student’s thesis projects.
Rudonimo-Dusiacka is a certified deep diving instructor who has worked in Sweden and Tanzania. She is the fourth recipient of the European Rolex Scholarship and looks forward to the opportunity to expand her aquatic experiences. She is working to complete her Master’s dissertation. Already fluent in five languages, Phoebe is interested in the communications and structures of marine mammals and the methodology with which these are deciphered and interpreted by the scientific community.
Phoebe’s passion for diving began when she enrolled in a PADI Open Water Course as part of her role as a translator for the Galapagos Marine Reserve in Ecuador.
The Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society is a non-profit organization that recognizes deserving students and individuals who are in position to make a difference in the aquatic, underwater and conservation arena. The Scholars will travel the world participating in programs, studies and experiences together with sponsoring groups including Divers Alert Network, Stan Waterman, the Aggressor Fleet and many others.
For more information about the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society, go to www.owuscholarship.org
