Dr. Van De Merwe Gets U.S. State Department Fellowship By Alan Miller

Dr. Willem Van De Merwe, who teaches physics at Indiana Wesleyan University, has received one of a few fellowships granted annually by the U.S. State Department. He will be a visiting scholar in Washington, D.C., during the 2007-08 academic year.

Dr. Van De Merwe, a native of Holland, came to the United States in 1976 to finish his doctorate at Clemson University. He began teaching at IWU in 1995 and now holds IWU's only endowed chair, the Blanchard Chair in Physics and Mathematics.

As the William C. Foster Fellow Visiting Scholar, Dr. Van De Merwe will be assigned to the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, which reports to the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.

Dr. Van De Merwe will work with a variety of national and international organizations, directly affecting U.S. policies and global security.

"This is a high honor or Dr. Van De Merwe and for our Institution," said Dr. Bud Bence, Vice President for Academic Affairs. "God has given him a unique opportunity to work among those who are peace-makers, not only representing our country but the Kingdom of God.

"We are confident that the world could be changed through the contributions of our colleague," Dr. Bence said.

In 1983, while he still was a Dutch citizen, Dr. Van De Merwe joined the U.S. Army. He became a U.S. citizen while he was on active duty in the Army.

Dr. Van De Merwe, now a colonel, continues as a reserve officer in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, with a specialty of nuclear medical science. For the past six years, he has been assigned to the U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General.

In his current Army role, Dr. Van De Merwe has been involved in issues ranging from writing security policies and providing technological expertise, to coordination with NATO allies in support of the health of U.S. servicemen - as well as civilians and even U.S. adversaries.

For several summers, Dr. Van De Merwe worked as a senior biophysicist for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine. His work there centered on research related to rapid detection and identification of harmful biological organisms.

Alan Miller is the University Relations Director at Indiana Wesleyan University.