ABQ native is Rhodes Scholar

A New Mexico man whose passions are pediatric oncology and researching cancer cell growth is among the 32 American students selected as the newest U.S. Rhodes Scholars.

Peter N. Kalugin, of Albuquerque, will use the scholarship to obtain a master’s degree in oncology at Oxford University in England. The Johns Hopkins University senior is currently majoring in molecular and cellular biology as well mathematics.

The prestigious Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of study at Oxford.

Also a Goldwater Scholar, Kalugin completed a thesis on brain tumor biology. He plays the alto saxophone, speaks five languages and has volunteered in orphanages in Mongolia and Nepal.

This year’s Rhodes Scholars, who were announced Sunday, were selected from 877 applicants endorsed by 305 colleges and universities.