UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State junior biology student Jennifer Dobson has been accepted into the Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) program by The German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – DAAD). The DAAD is the largest funding organization in the world supporting the international exchange of students and scholars.
Dobson was recognized for her studies on the neurotoxicity of paraquat, a suspected risk factor for Parkinson's disease, with neurobiology professor Byron Jones, professor of biobehavioral health. Paraquat is a weed killer used in many Pennsylvania farms.
Dobson joins several scholarship recipients for the 2014-15 academic year. Other Penn State students and faculty recognized by the DAAD include: Diane Libert and Andrew Michael Wigman, who were awarded Graduate Study Scholarships; and Jesse McQuaid, Melissa Quinnan and Anna Wing, who also were accepted into the RISE program.
Dobson also is recognized for her positions as morale committee member for the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON); research assistant in the microbiology department at Drexel College of Medicine with Thomas Edlind; Blue and White Society member; National Society of Collegiate Scholars member; and with the Schreyer Honors College (SHC) Mentoring with Honors program.
Dobson is a member of Presidential Leadership Academy (PLA) and is currently the administrator for Apollo, a special interest THON organization, as well as the treasurer for One Team International, an organization that promotes young girls' confidence by getting them involved in sports.
DAAD programs help create goodwill and professional relationships that will build a solid basis for relations between Germany and North America. DAAD scholarships are highly competitive and recipients are selected by independent selection committees on the basis of outstanding academic records and convincing project proposals or statements of purpose.
The DAAD is the German national agency for the support of international academic cooperation. It offers programs and funding for students, faculty, researchers and others in higher education providing financial support to over 55,000 individuals per year. DAAD also represents the German higher education system abroad, promoting Germany as an academic and research destination and establishes ties among institutions around the world.
For more information about DAAD, visit www.daad.org. For more information about the Department of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State, visit bbh.hhdev.psu.edu. For more information about the Eberly College of Science at Penn State, visit science.psu.edu.