2/25/02

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Carl Thurman, UNI associate professor of biology, (319) 273-2276

Vicki Grimes, University Marketing & Public Relations, (319) 273-2761

Award helps University of Northern Iowa science students do research

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Six students in the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Northern Iowa will benefit from a grant recently awarded by the Merck/AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Undergraduate Science Research Program.

Each student will be mentored by two UNI faculty members in biology, chemistry or physics on an interdisciplinary project during the year-long program. During 10 weeks in the summer, the students will do hands-on research with their mentors. They will do extensive reading this semester to prepare for the research in the summer and will participate in a fall seminar on their research experience.

The purpose of the program, according to Carl Thurman, UNI associate professor of biology, who is coordinating the matching of student interests and abilities with faculty research projects, is to promote interdisciplinary research experience among undergraduate students in the College of Natural Sciences.

UNI is one of 15 U.S. colleges and universities that received one of the awards. If a school's program is successful, the award is given for two additional years. The program is funded by the Merck Company Foundation, a private, charitable foundation established by Merck & Co., a pharmaceutical manufacturer, and administered by the AAAS, the world's largest federation of scientific and engineering societies.

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