Duke University has been awarded a four-year grant from the Amgen Foundation to provide hands-on laboratory experience to undergraduate students through the Amgen Scholars Program. Duke is now one of 24 elite institutions across the U.S., Europe, Asia and, for the first time, Australia and Canada, to host the program.
The program aims to inspire the next generation of innovators by providing undergraduates with intensive 10-week summer research opportunities at many of the world’s premier education and research institutions.
Duke’s program will be administered by the Office of Biomedical Graduate Education in the School of Medicine, starting in summer 2019. Of the 15 scholars hosted by Duke this summer, three will be undergraduates from Duke and twelve will be from other four-year colleges and universities.
“We’re honored to serve as an Amgen Scholars Program site alongside a number of our peer leading educational institutions,” said Colin S. Duckett, PhD, Vice Dean for Basic Science in the Duke University School of Medicine. “This selection speaks to the caliber of research being conducted at Duke, as well as our commitment to training the next generation of biomedical researchers and thought leaders.”
Applications should be submitted through Duke’s Amgen Scholars site and will be accepted through February 1, 2019. Eligibility requirements can also be found on the site.
Through this new four-year commitment of more than $21 million from Amgen, 1,500 undergraduates from hundreds of colleges and universities will have the chance to engage in research opportunities in biomedical and biotechnology fields.
“As the pace of innovation increases, so too does the need to educate the scientists of tomorrow,” said Robert A. Bradway, chairman and chief executive officer at Amgen. “We look forward to further expanding the reach of the Amgen Scholars Program, which has already provided research opportunities to thousands of talented undergraduates at premier institutions around the globe, and now has the potential do much more.”
Since its inception in 2006, the Amgen Scholars Program has made research opportunities at premier institutions possible for more than 3,900 undergraduate students representing 700 colleges and universities. Of those alumni who have completed their undergraduate studies, nearly 900 are currently pursuing an advanced graduate degree in a scientific field, and another 280 have earned their PhD or MD/PhD.
Amgen Scholars provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in the process of discovery and build intellectual connections with some of the most accomplished scientists around the world. Undergraduate participants benefit from undertaking a research project with the mentorship of top faculty, being part of a cohort-based experience, participating in seminars and networking events and taking part in a symposium in their respective region where they meet their peers, learn about biotechnology and hear from leading scientists in both industry and academia.
The program aims to break down barriers for many students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to engage in science at the world’s top educational and research institutions. Financial support for students is a critical component of the program, which seeks to ensure that eligible students, regardless of their financial status, can participate.
Amgen Scholars Program Host Institutions
*Indicates New Host Institution for 2019
- United States
California Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Duke University,* Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University,* National Institutes of Health, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, UC San Francisco, UT Southwestern Medical Center,* Washington University St. Louis, Yale University* - Europe
ETH Zurich, Institut Pasteur, Karolinska Institute, LMU Munich, University of Cambridge - Asia
Kyoto University, National University of Singapore,* Tsinghua University,* The University of Tokyo - Australia
University of Melbourne* - Canada
University of Toronto*