Amgen Scholars Discover Their Potential During Summer Science Research Program and National Symposium
July 20 2009 - 12:36PM
PR Newswire (US)
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., July 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- From July
18-20, more than 260 of the country's brightest undergraduate
students met at UCLA for the third annual Amgen Scholars U.S.
Symposium designed to bring together program participants and help
them apply their science research experiences into future science
careers. The three-day symposium is a key component of the Amgen
Scholars Program, a $27.5 million initiative that provides
undergraduates the opportunity for hands-on research at some of the
world's leading universities. During the symposium, hosted by the
Amgen Foundation in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT), students shared their summer research projects
and heard firsthand from leading industry and academic scientists.
"More than ever before, we need to prepare and inspire the next
generation of scientists to ensure the future of innovative
discoveries," said Jean J. Lim, president of the Amgen Foundation.
"The Amgen Foundation is committed to leading the way for the Amgen
Scholars to learn about the many different scientific career paths
available to them." The 2009 Amgen Scholars, who have an average
GPA of 3.73 were selected from more than 4,000 applications to
participate in the Amgen Scholars U.S. Program and attend the
mid-summer symposium. Under the mentorship of faculty members, the
students - representing 136 schools from across 39 states and
territories - are exploring areas of research beyond what they may
be able to do as part of their regular undergraduate education.
"The Amgen Scholars Program is quickly becoming one of the most
competitive summer research programs in the country," said
Christopher M. Jones, director of the Amgen Scholars U.S. program
office at MIT. "We are excited to see the Amgen Scholars alumni go
on to pursue doctorates at leading universities and being selected
for premier fellowships including Rhodes Scholarships."
Presentations during the symposium included talks on the drug
discovery and development process and discussion of the many career
options in academia and industry for scientists with a doctorate.
Amgen Scholars also had the opportunity to network with academic
and industry scientists and their peers. "The Amgen Scholars
Program gave me a realistic sense of what being a scientist is,"
said Janelle Ruiz, 2008 Amgen Scholar from Loyola Marymount
University in Los Angeles who participated in the program at the
University of Washington. "I discovered that a career in science is
something that I should seriously consider." In the U.S., Amgen
Foundation's 10 host universities for the Amgen Scholars Program
are California Institute of Technology; Columbia University/Barnard
College; Howard University; MIT; Stanford University; University of
California, Berkeley; UCLA; University of California, San Diego;
University of California, San Francisco; and University of
Washington. MIT, which has long been at the forefront of
undergraduate research programming, serves as the U.S. program
office and plays a leading role in the coordination, technical
oversight and student outreach for the program. Each Amgen Scholars
institution is in charge of selecting approximately 25 participants
from both its own student body, as well as from other accredited
four-year colleges and universities in the United States (U.S.),
Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. While each program site has
its own application process, all require an official transcript
with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or above, a letter of recommendation
and a personal statement or essay. Financial support for students
is a critical component of the program, which seeks to ensure that
eligible students, regardless of their financial status, are able
to participate. In 2008, the Amgen Foundation announced the
expansion of Amgen Scholars to Europe. The initial expansion of
Amgen Scholars to Europe is a $2.5 million, two-year pilot program
that will provide research experience for students interested in
pursuing a graduate degree and a career in science. The three
European university partners are the University of Cambridge in the
United Kingdom, Karolinska Institute in Sweden and
Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich in Germany. In September, the
Amgen Scholars Europe Symposium will be held at Cambridge, which
also serves as the European coordinating center for the program.
About the Amgen Foundation The Amgen Foundation
(http://www.amgen.com/citizenship/overview.html) seeks to advance
science education; improve patient access to quality care; and
strengthen the communities where Amgen staff members live and work.
Since 1991, the Foundation has made $130 million in grants to
nonprofit organizations throughout the United States, Puerto Rico
and Europe that impact society in inspiring and innovative ways,
and those that provide disaster relief efforts both domestically
and internationally. For more information about Amgen Scholars or
an application, please visit http://www.amgenscholars.com/.
CONTACT: Amgen Kristen Davis, (805) 447-3008 (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081015/AMGENLOGO)
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081015/AMGENLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Amgen CONTACT: Kristen
Davis of Amgen, +1-805-447-3008 Web Site: http://www.amgen.com/
http://www.amgenscholars.com/
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