The message on Nicholas Hartman's answering machine wasn't just an ordinary call.

When he hit the play button, Hartman (senior-chemistry) learned he was one of the nation's elite Marshall Scholars.

Annina Burns was not any more prepared for such a phone call.

"I'm just thrilled to represent Penn State," she said. "I was pretty excited."

Hartman and Burns (senior-nutrition and media studies) were announced this week as the fifth and sixth Penn State students to win the Marshall Scholarships since its inception in 1953.

The Marshall Scholarships allow students to pursue two to three years of graduate study at a university of their choice in the United Kingdom.

All of their tuition and other expenses will be paid for by the British government.

Hartman and Burns shared the same enthusiasm upon hearing the news.

"I was sort of shocked, really," Hartman said of his initial reaction to the call.

Hartman said he would choose the University of Cambridge to study proteomics, which is the study of proteins. After obtaining his doctorate degree, Hartman hopes to teach for a university.

"I think the opportunity to study in another country, particularly at Cambridge, will be really valuable," he added.

Burns intends to study comparative social policy at the University of Oxford.

She described the competition for the Marshall Scholarship as very competitive.

"They asked me everything that exists about nutrition policy [and] health policy" she said. "It was pretty intense."

Ultimately, Burns said she wants to be a health and nutrition public policymaker for children to make a difference in their lives.

Burns has experience in the field, creating a program in high school that has helped more than 700 homeless children in the last nine years. She was featured in Time Magazine for organizing this group.

Also a Lion Ambassador, Burns started an initiative called the Penn State Nutrition Service Project that works with disadvantaged children from Pennsylvania.

Both students are optimistic the experience will open the door to new possibilities.

"I'm really thankful to all the help I got at Penn State from faculty," Burns said. "I think [the award] will just open so many opportunities."

University study in the United Kingdom is more research intensive, rather than mostly coursework related in the United States, Hartman said. His work at Cambridge will allow him to collaborate with other researchers, which he said is important for developing a career.

"You can be the best scientist in the world, but if no one wants to work with you or no one likes you, you aren't [going to get very far]," he said.

He also said the experience at Cambridge would give him a different perspective of the United States, especially in a time of possible war and international tension.

Hartman is an officer for the Nittany Chemical Society and is on a committee that oversees maintenance of the HUB-Robeson Center aquarium. He also visits high school classes, encouraging students to pursue higher education in the sciences. Hartman's research at Penn State has led to the recent acceptance of his manuscript's publication in the Journal of Chemical Education.

Penn State administrators said they are proud of the two winners.

"The truth is both of these students are really special," said Cheryl Achterberg, dean of Schreyer Honors College. "Not only have they both succeeded academically, but they have initiated outreach programs that involved other Penn State students and connected them to the greater Penn State community."