Feb 20, 2009 - Claremont, Calif. - Harvey Mudd College (HMC) is among 14 colleges and universities in the country to receive an award from the 2009 Merck/AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program for its outstanding interdisciplinary research in the sciences, it was recently announced.

This is the second time HMC has received the honor; its first award was granted in 2005.

The other 2009 award recipients include: University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, Otterbein College, Bowdoin College, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Ashland University, Siena College, Kean University, Furman University, Lebanon Valley College, Niagara University, University of West Florida, State University of New York at New Paltz and Colorado College.

Sponsored by the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the program awards provide up to $60,000, paid over three years, for use by the biology and chemistry departments at the recipient institutions.

The program aims to enhance undergraduate education through research experiences that emphasize the interrelationship between chemistry and biology, to encourage students to pursue graduate education in chemistry and life sciences, and to foster undergraduate programs and activities that bridge chemistry and biology.

Since 1994, the Merck/AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program has awarded grants to more than 200 colleges and universities, providing more than 2,000 undergraduates with the opportunity to work with and learn from faculty in the laboratory and engage in basic research.

The program’s support is provided by The Merck Company Foundation, which will have contributed more than $11,500,000 by the time the current awardees’ grant term ends in 2011.

The Merck Institute for Science Education, a tax-exempt private foundation, was established in 1993 to improve science education in the public schools. Now expanded to include college and graduate-level education, MISE works to build capacity in the biomedical sciences through partnerships with education institutions.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. Founded in 1848, AAAS serves 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, reaching 10 million individuals. The organization is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education and more.

HMC faculty members—David Vosburg (chemistry), Catherine McFadden (biology), Katherine Maloney (chemistry, fall 2009), Stephen Adolph (biology), Nancy Lape (engineering), Adam Johnson (chemistry), Karl Haushalter (chemistry and biology) and Robert Drewell (biology)—helped coordinate this year’s Merck/AAAS grant application process.