Cheri Ackerman, a 2011 Calvin grad, has been awarded a 2012-2013 Hertz Fellowship. The fellowship, bestowed by the Hertz Foundation, supports gifted leaders in the applied sciences and engineering. It is awarded to 15 to 20 applicants out of 600.

See full story: http://www.calvin.edu/news/archive/2011-grad-wins-hertz-fellowship

"I can definitely see that it's not something I've necessarily earned," said Ackerman. "Yes, I worked hard for it. Yes, I researched. But I look at it as a gift from God."

The $250,000 Hertz Fellowship will pay Ackerman's Berkeley tuition for five years and provide her with a sizeable stipend. The idea behind the award is to free up young minds to innovate, said Ackerman: "You get to pick the projects you work on and to pursue ideas that might seem crazy."

That cookbook you were returning to the library that got wedged behind the backseat of your car and forgotten over the winter. The novel you only allowed yourself five pages a day to read because you never wanted it to end. The coffee table book on cabins in the woods that looked so great on your own coffee table. The country-western CD your daughter put in her backpack last spring and found this spring.

Has your love of books and other KDL materials made it difficult to let go of some of your checked-out items by their due date? Put that love to work for you the week of May 7–13: KDL cardholders are invited to visit a branch, and for every 10 minutes spent reading or listening in the library, $1 in overdue fines will be waived up to a maximum of $10 (does not apply to lost or damaged items or collection fees). For all ages.