UCSD Science, Engineering
and Medical Students Receive
Scholarships from ARCS Foundation

November 13, 2006

By Pat JaCoby

The San Diego Chapter of Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation has awarded $205,000 in scholarships to support 23 science, engineering and medical students at the University of California, San Diego, during the 2006-2007 academic year.

The recipients will be honored at the 20 th annual Scholarship Awards Luncheon to be held Nov. 17 at the Kona Kai Resort.

A national organization dedicated to helping the best and brightest U.S. graduate and undergraduate science, engineering and medical students, the San Diego Chapter of ARCS has awarded a total $2.7 million in scholarships to 359 UCSD students in the past 21 years.

The San Diego Chapter of ARCS has 161 members, all of whom contribute funds toward scholarships awarded locally to UCSD, the University of San Diego, The Scripps Research Institute and San Diego State University. In addition to member donations, contributions come from corporations, foundations and individuals. An all-volunteer organization composed of women, ARCS was formed nationally in 1958 in response to Sputnik and the lack of U.S. supremacy in the technology race.

The need that existed then is as acute today, as seen in these statistics:

• 90 percent of all scientists and engineers will be living in Asia by 2010.
• 50 percent of U.S. patents registered in recent years were registered by foreign nationals.
• 50 percent of the current workforce in science and engineering will retire within two decades, leaving an unfilled void.
• 50 percent of U.S. college engineering degrees are now awarded to foreign nationals.
• In 2005, there were 70,000 engineering graduates in the U.S. compared to 600,000 in China and 350,000 in India.

The ARCS Foundation mission is to invest in America’s scientists. At UCSD, the graduate students supported this year include:

Laura Brandt, Aerospace Engineering; David Cerutti, Chemistry and Biology; Lindsey Glickfeld, Cellular Neuroscience; Justin Hallas, Electrical Engineering; Randall Kelley, Particle Physics; Chad Kishimoto, Theoretical Astrophysics; Alison LaBonte, Geosciences, SIO; Ananda Leininger, Algebra/Topology; Alexandra Lowry, Medicine; Xavier Mayali, Biological Oceanography, SIO; Ryan Mueller, Marine Biology, SIO; Gregg Musiker, Mathematics; Ellen O’Dea, Biochemistry; Kevin Olivier, Organic Chemistry; Emilia Olson, Biomedical Sciences; Natalie Ostroff, Biodynmics; Joseph Pearson, Cell and Developmental Biology; Jonathan Peterson, Medicine; Rachel Schwartz, Molecular Biology; Jacob Sendowski, Electrical Engineering; Rajni Sethi, Medicine; Karen Wei, Cardiac Mechanics, and Aaron Wong, Mathematics.

 

Media Contact: Pat JaCoby, 858 534-7404