MIT senior Markey Freudenburg-Puricelli and recent graduate Abigail (“Abbie”) Schipper ’24 have been chosen as Gates Cambridge Scholars and will commence their graduate education this autumn in their selected disciplines at Cambridge University in the U.K.
Now marking its 25th anniversary, the Gates Cambridge initiative offers fully funded postgraduate scholarships to exceptional candidates from nations outside of the U.K. The aim of Gates Cambridge is to establish a worldwide network of future pioneers dedicated to improving the world.
Students keen on applying to Gates Cambridge should reach out to Kim Benard, associate dean of prestigious fellowships in Career Advising and Professional Development.
Markey Freudenburg-Puricelli
Freudenburg-Puricelli is specializing in Earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences while minoring in Spanish. Her enthusiasm for geoscience has encouraged her to explore various parts of the globe to undertake geological fieldwork. These experiences have inspired her to seek a career in crafting scientific policies and environmental regulations aimed at safeguarding those most at risk due to climate change. As a Gates Cambridge Scholar, she plans to pursue an MPhil in environmental policy.
Upon her arrival at MIT, Freudenburg-Puricelli joined the Terrascope first-year learning community, emphasizing experiential education related to global environmental challenges. Subsequently, she became an undergraduate research assistant in the McGee Lab for Paleoclimate and Geochronology, where she collected and analyzed data used to comprehend climate characteristics of permafrost throughout northern Canada.
After a summer internship in Chile investigating volcanoes at the Universidad Católica del Norte, Freudenburg-Puricelli became part of the Gehring Lab for Plant Genetics, Epigenetics, and Seed Biology. Last summer, she journeyed to Peru to collaborate with the Department of Paleontology at the Universidad Nacional de Piura, engaging in fieldwork and preserving and cataloging fossil specimens. Freudenburg-Puricelli has also participated in sedimentology fieldwork in New Mexico, geological mapping in the Mojave Desert, and oceanographic research aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer.
On campus, Freudenburg-Puricelli is an enthusiastic glassblower and has served as a teaching assistant at the MIT glassblowing lab. Additionally, she serves as a tour guide for the MIT Office of Admissions and has volunteered with the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences’ first-year pre-orientation program.
Abigail “Abbie” Schipper ’24
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Schipper earned a BS in mechanical engineering and a minor in biology from MIT. At Cambridge, she will pursue an MPhil in engineering, focusing on medical devices utilized in pre-hospital trauma care systems in low- and middle-income nations with the Cambridge Health Systems Design group.
While at MIT, Schipper participated in MIT Emergency Medical Services, providing volunteer support on the ambulance and acting as the heartsafe officer and director of ambulance operations. Motivated by her involvement in CPR education, she contributed to the development of the LifeSaveHer initiative, aimed at reducing the gender gap in survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests through the production of female CPR mannequins and corresponding research. This team secured first place in the 2023 PKG IDEAS Competition and received the Eloranta Research Fellowship.
Schipper’s endeavors have also centered on the design of medical devices for low-resource or extreme settings. As an undergraduate, she engaged in research in Professor Giovanni Traverso’s lab, where she worked on a project creating a drug delivery implant for areas with restricted surgical access. During a summer internship at the University College London Collaborative Center for Inclusion Health, she collaborated with the U.K.’s National Health Service to develop durable, low-cost carbon dioxide sensors intended to estimate the risk of airborne infectious disease transmission in shelters for the homeless.
Following her graduation, Schipper interned at SAGA Space Architecture via MISTI Denmark, focusing on designing life support systems for an underwater habitat intended for astronaut training and oceanographic exploration.
Schipper was involved in the Concourse learning community, Sigma Kappa Sorority, and her residential group, Burton 3rd. In her leisure time, she enjoys repairing bicycles and playing the piano.