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$1.5 million endows Rogers Science Program
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Lewis & Clark has received a $1.25-million gift from the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation and $250,000 from an anonymous donor to endow the John S. Rogers Science Research Program, President Michael Mooney announced. John Rogers is a Lewis & Clark trustee. The endowment will support the collaborative scientific research of five student-faculty groups for 10 weeks every summer. Each research group typically includes a faculty member and one to three undergraduates. "The best teaching of science is inseparable from the doing of it," Mooney said, noting that a disproportionately large number of research scientists in this country get their start in liberal arts colleges such as Lewis & Clark. "This endowment is the basis of our work to educate the coming generations of scientists, physicians, and researchers whose passion for unveiling physical and biological mysteries contributes so much to the quality of human life," Mooney said. "We thank the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation for its immense generosity." The Rogers Science Research Program continues the College's commitment to faculty-student summer science research, initiated in 1991 and renewed in 1994 with grants from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The grants provided seed money to launch long-term research projects, sustained through more than $2 million in external funding. "The Rogers Science Research Program fulfills the intent of the original Murdock grant to put collaborative science research permanently on our curricular map," Mooney said. To receive a Rogers Science Research grant, faculty members submit proposals to a steering committee. Grant recipients select their research teams from student applications based on classroom achievement and research interest. Rogers Science Research teams and research teams working under external grants meet weekly throughout the summer to discuss their projects. At the end of the summer, each team writes a scientific paper and prepares a poster to present in the fall to the entire campus community and at regional, national and international scientific meetings. "The Rogers Science Program gives faculty the opportunity to secure preliminary results of their research, increasing the likelihood of external funding," according to Michael Broide, associate professor of physics, who will direct the Rogers Science Program. "The grants open up a realm of new creative possibilities for students serious about careers in science, medicine, engineering, high-tech and academe," Mooney said. "We greatly appreciate this gift," said Curtis Keedy, dean of mathematical and natural sciences. "John Rogers really believes in helping students along in their academic career. This program gives our students research experience. It also helps them launch their senior honors theses and puts them in a competitive position for graduate fellowships. It's very beneficial to our division, to the College and to our students." Keedy notes that eight Lewis & Clark students in the past six years have received Goldwater Scholarships, the premier national undergraduate award in mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. That's more than any other liberal arts college in the region. In addition, students have received National Science Foundation and Hertz Foundation fellowships and have been accepted in top graduate programs. "The success we've had with the Goldwater program is directly related to the opportunities our students have had to conduct original research," Keedy said. "Research is a key component of the Goldwater Scholarship application." In addition to the John S. Rogers Science Research Program, gifts from the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation to Lewis & Clark College have endowed the Mary Stuart Rogers Scholarship Fund, the Mary Stuart Rogers Professorship in Education, and the James W. Rogers Professorship in Music. The foundation's interests&emdash;homeless children, battered women, and education&emdash;closely reflect the interests of its founder. Very attentive to world affairs, Mary Stuart Rogers was deeply committed to providing opportunities, particularly educational opportunities, to needy individuals motivated to succeed. The foundation contributes to youth and other human service programs, medical research, and private education from the elementary through university levels. |
 Holly Sagerson '99, who recently received her bachelor of arts degree in biochemistry, measures samples in the laboratory of Deborah Lycan, associate professor of biology.
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