University Park, Pa. -- Two Penn State juniors recently were among the first recipients of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Scholarship, a government effort to tap some of the best minds at the nation's colleges and universities to aid national defense efforts. The commitment to research that has punctuated the college careers of Christopher Urban (genetics and developmental biology) and Zachary Reitman (biochemistry and molecular biology) has garnered each this impressive scholarship.
Last year, nearly 500 students nationwide applied for various DHS scholarships in such fields of study as computer and information science, civil engineering and materials engineering. Urban and Reitman, who happen to be close friends, stood out among the other 88 applicants in the life sciences program, placing them in an elite group of only 11 juniors awarded this opportunity.
In response to increasingly antagonistic events domestically and internationally, the DHS has established scholarships to ensure protection against terrorist attacks. Looking to American universities for bright young minds, the DHS provides students in the science and technology fields the opportunity to conduct research and investigate methods to further protect the United States.
"The DHS realizes that a solid foundation of talented scientists and engineers is vital to our country," said Reitman. "It funds education for some undergraduate students to ensure that our scientific community remains robust and ready to look critically at the problems of our time -- in particular, the threat of terror attacks."
For the 2004-2005 school year, the DHS awarded 105 scholarships to undergraduates across the United States. This scholarship aids exceptionally dedicated students in completing their research by paying tuition and granting them a monthly stipend, along with the opportunity to complete a 10-week summer internship program.
Their extensive research projects in laboratories at Penn State have qualified Urban and Reitman for the DHS Scholarship in the field of life sciences, specifically virology. The two students stood out among other applicants due to their expertise and experience in concentrated research areas.
Urban has spent the last two summers studying neurology and movement disorders at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. He has also been involved with the Penn State Astrobiology Research Center, studying sulfate-reducing bacteria that may be similar to some of the planet's earliest life forms.
For the majority of his time here at Penn State, Reitman has been working alongside Craig E. Cameron, the Louis Martarano Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Reitman has assisted with many research projects and is now extensively involved with the molecular biology of poliovirus replication in the cell.
Though many of the details are confidential, Urban and Reitman will be working in biochemistry labs at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif. Reitman's qualified understanding of pathogens and Urban's specialized research with gene expression and protein production will contribute greatly to the research that they will be conducting on bioterrorist weapons and counter-bioterrorism responses. Their investigations and focused research will promote the DHS's Mission to "prevent and deter terrorist attacks, and protect against and respond to threats and hazards to the nation."
Students interested in this scholarship should contact the University Fellowships Office at (814) 863-8199 or visit http://www.ufo.psu.edu/