WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senior captain of the Navy offshore sailing team Christian Hoffman (Sandy Hook, Conn.) was recently awarded a Marshall Scholarship. This year, over 1,000 undergraduate students from across the country competed for one of 46 scholarships. The scholarship provides recipients an opportunity of postgraduate study at a university in the United Kingdom for up to two years. 
 
Hoffman is a Stamps Scholar, a Trident Scholar and a chemistry major at the Naval Academy where he is conducting an in-depth independent research project on enhancing the mechanical and chemical properties of biomaterials, particularly cotton, using a process called Natural Fiber Welding. His Trident Scholar research project is titled "Advancing the Synthesis of Polyionic Biocomposities Via the Natural Fiber Welding Method," and he will present the results of his research in April prior to graduating.
 
In his senior season, Hoffman has captained the offshore sailing team to four first-place finishes this fall. The Midshipmen captured the McMillan Cup and Shields Trophy, while also finishing first at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta in Chicago. In Annapolis this past September, Hoffman helped Navy capture the US Offshore Championship. Over the summer, Hoffman was also on the Navy team that finished first overall in the ORC class during the Annapolis to Newport Race.
 
With the Marshall Scholarship, Hoffman plans to attend the University of York in England to pursue a master's in research in physical and theoretical chemistry.
 
This marks the second-straight year the Naval Academy has produced a Marshall Scholar after Anne Richter of the women's lacrosse team earned the scholarship last year.
 
The Marshall Scholarship Program was founded by an Act of Parliament in 1953 to commemorate the humane ideals of the European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan). Goals of the program include enabling future leaders of America the opportunity to study in the UK, to help scholars gain an understanding and appreciation of contemporary Britain, to contribute to the advancement of knowledge at Britain's centers of academic excellence, and to motivate scholars to act as ambassadors throughout their lives, thus strengthening British-American relations. The program has awarded over 2,000 scholarships to date.