An Auburn University senior has been awarded a scholarship from the Fulbright Program to continue studying microbiology in Germany.

Paul Bergen, a microbiology and German double major, will continue his studies at the Technical University of Munich during the 2012-13 academic year.

The receipt of a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in Germany is a great honor, Bergen said in an email to the Opelika-Auburn News on Monday. I am excited to be able to continue conducting research in the field of microbiology in the country my ancestors called home. My grandparents emigrated from Germany in the 1950s and my grandmother always told me stories about life there.

After spending eight days in the summer of 2010 in Germany, I knew I wanted to go back. The Fulbright grants me that opportunity, along with the recognition of the excellence of my studies at Auburn University.

Bergen, 21, of Cooper City, Fla., has studied in Auburns Honors College for four years, accumulating a 3.97 overall GPA. In addition to receiving Auburns Presidential Scholarship, he has been selected for two fellowships and was named the College of Sciences and Mathematics top junior during the 2010-11 school year.

Bergen is Auburns fourth student to receive a scholarship from the Fulbright Program in as many years. After his 10-month stint in Germany, Bergen said he plans to pursue a doctorate in microbiology at the University of Missouri and then work on treatments for bacterial and viral diseases either in the private sector or in academia.

"Paul is an inquisitive and engaging young man with a range of interests and activities that go well beyond the lab and range from the study of German politics, culture and language to being an active member of Auburn's nationally recognized mock trial team," Paul Harris, associate director of the Auburn Honors College, said in a university news release. "He will gain so much from his classes and interactions with German students and faculty, and he will represent himself, Auburn University and the United States with distinction."

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program was founded in 1946. It allows students, scholars and professionals the opportunity to study in more than 155 countries throughout the world.

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AU senior awarded Fulbright Program scholarship