KGI Students Awarded SMART Scholarship

CLAREMONT, Calif., June 19, 2007 - Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) today announced that two KGI students - Peter Vandeventer and Christopher Warner - have been awarded a Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), making them KGI’s first-ever SMART scholars.

Vandeventer and Warner, the first KGI students to apply for the scholarship, were among 100 winners chosen from a pool of 1,600 applicants by the DoD. Each SMART scholar receives a stipend of up to $38,000, full tuition reimbursement and a book allowance of $1,000. Following graduation, scholars are required to work for the Defense Dept. for a period of time equal to the length of their scholarship support.

“This is a proud day for KGI," said Sheldon Schuster, Ph.D., KGI’s president. “To have not one but two first-time recipients of this highly competitive honor in the same year is a tremendous testament to the quality of our students and their instruction. Peter and Chris exemplify the kind of scholars we have at KGI, faculty and students dedicated to producing applied research for the benefit of society."

After completing KGI’s Master of Bioscience program in December, Vandeventer will pursue his Ph.D. in Applied Life Sciences. He is interested in helping to develop a handheld pathogen detection device which will involve the preparation of biological samples for DNA detection.

Warner, a second-year MBS student who plans to enroll in the Ph.D. program following graduation next spring, will research methods to mass produce antibodies for the treatment of infectious disease epidemics resulting from bioterrorism.

The SMART scholarship was established to support the education and recruitment of undergraduate and graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The scholarships are merit-based and given to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding ability and special aptitude for a career in scientific and engineering research and product development.

Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences is dedicated to education and research aimed at translating into practice, for the benefit of society, the power and potential of the life sciences.
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CONTACT:
Noel Brinkerhoff
Assoc. Dir. of Donor & Media Relations
909/607-0135
nbrinker@kgi.edu