Adam Bennett, a 2000 graduate of Palm Harbor University High School, will use his two prestigious scholarships to continue chemistry research.
By JANE MADDEN WELCH
Published May 10, 2004
EAST LAKE - When someone types out a speech for his or her college graduation in one quick, creative burst, it's a good bet the author is very focused or very rushed.
In Adam Bennett's case, the word is focused, along with intelligent, articulate, motivated and polite.
Those qualities, along with a desire to do cutting-edge scientific research, have won him a unique pair of honors.
Bennett, 21, is the first person to win a full graduate-study scholarship from the National Institutes of Health and the prestigious Winston Churchill Scholarship for a year of graduate work at Cambridge University in England.
A 2000 graduate of Palm Harbor University High School, Bennett was selected out of approximately 7,500 graduates in the class of 2004 at the University of Florida to be the student speaker. He was told he could talk about anything he wanted.
"When I have something important to write, I always wait until I get an inspiration," Bennett said.
Bennett's own passion for learning ended up being that inspiration. His 21/2-page address emphasized the importance of continuing to learn beyond the classroom.
At the ceremony, Bennett shared the platform with Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, the keynote speaker. Bennett said he was relieved that he got to speak before the senator, who gave an "incredible speech."
"When Adam was introduced to Sen. McCain, the first thing the senator said was, "Don't embarrass me with your eloquence,"' said Bennett's mother, Caroline.
Bennett graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. He had been accepted to doctoral programs at the California Institute of Technology, Cornell University, Duke University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University and University of California, Berkeley. He needed to make a decision where to do his graduate work.
A week before the April 15 deadline for that decision, Bennett was in his Gainesville apartment when the phone rang at 8:30 a.m.
"I knew it was important because my friends know not to call me that early," Bennett said.
Dr. Michael Lenardo was calling to inform Bennett he had been chosen by the National Institutes of Health for a full scholarship.
In addition, Bennett is the first University of Florida student to receive the Churchill Scholarship, which was established in 1959 to encourage the sharing of ideas in technology and innovation between the United States and Great Britain.
"Like all Churchill Scholars over the past four decades, Adam has uncommon ability and promise," said Harold Epstein, the executive director of the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States. He "seems sure to provide the leadership in science that the country increasingly needs."
Bennett was born in Pennsylvania. When he was 8, his family moved to Palm Harbor. He was in the first graduating class at Palm Harbor University High's wellness and medical professions magnet program.
His father, Frederick Bennett, is vice president of finance at Arthur Rutenberg Homes. His mother is pursuing her master's degree in holistic nutrition and his 20-year-old brother, Joseph, attends UF.
As part of his undergraduate work at UF, Bennett conducted original research in bio-organic synthesis under adviser Dr. Jon Stewart.
"Basically what you're trying to do is use cells or enzymes to carry out important organic chemistry reactions," Bennett said.
"Instead of doing it the conventional way, you can get far better results for things such as designing new drugs," he said. "It's much less expensive and much cleaner as far as environmental concerns go."
Bennett said he is excited about the prospect of continuing research, first at Cambridge and then in Bethesda, Md.
"I have a desire for my research to be of immediate help to people, research that might lead to a better vaccine or treatment for a disease," Bennett said.
