November 18, 2014

 

Nine new students from the OHSU Graduate Studies program have been named as ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation Scholars. In addition to OHSU's nine graduate studies scholars, ARCS gave 13 awards to students from Oregon State University (OSU).

The ARCS Foundation is a national women's group that aids advancement in science and technology by addressing the country’s need for new scientists and engineers. ARCS supports exceptional American students at 54 top U.S. research universities. Specifically, the Portland chapter supports students at OHSU and OSU so they may take on the science challenges of today and tomorrow. In just ten years, the Portland chapter has given 129 awards totaling more than $2.2 million to students at these two Oregon universities.

"OHSU’s partnership with the ARCS Foundation helps us to recruit and retain gifted students who might otherwise face economic barriers to careers in science. The financial support and sense of community provided by the women of ARCS shows all our graduate students that people in the Pacific Northwest care deeply about higher education and the future of scientific discovery,” said Allison Fryer, Ph.D., associate dean for graduate studies and professor of medicine, OHSU School of Medicine.

The ARCS Foundation Scholar Award is payable over three years, with each award presented in October. Nine out of ten ARCS scholars go on to work in their field, conducting significant research in fields of science and technology; receiving patents; publishing extensively in major science journals; receiving numerous awards; and founding businesses.

“The ARCS Scholar program helped me make the decision to come to Oregon. Thanks to that funding, I can actually afford to travel back home to New York to see my family occasionally throughout the year. But being named an ARCS Scholar means more than just financial support, it means inclusion in a network of extremely gifted young scientists who are starting to make significant contributions in their fields. It means networking and friendships and establishing the kind of connections that will serve me for years to come. ARCS supporters provide us with so much more than a monetary award, they provide us with the foundation for the rest of our careers,” said scholar Ryan Mulqueen (pictured above left).