Chemistry Programs Receive Fletcher Jones Foundation Grant
May 7, 2008Contact: Colleen Sharkey, (323) 259-1406
Occidental College has received $850,000 from the Fletcher Jones Foundation to establish the Fletcher Jones Foundation Summer Research Fellows Program in Chemistry and Biochemistry. The grant establishes an endowment that will support chemical sciences Fellows during the 10-week summer undergraduate research program that is a signature program at the College.
Science is one of Occidental’s greatest academic strengths, accounting for one-fifth of undergraduate degrees granted and producing winners of prestigious national awards. This grant is the latest in a series of sponsored contributions that are making Occidental’s undergraduate research program even more vigorous.
“I knew already in high school I wanted to do research in college, so I chose Occidental for its research program. You can’t do what I’m doing at a large school. Here you get to know the faculty,” said sophomore Mark Paulsen. Paulsen, who was recently awarded a Goldwater Scholarship, focuses on the development of strategies to isolate compounds from plants and animals that can be used in the preparation of natural products.
The latest grant from the Fletcher Jones Foundation put the College at 67 percent of its five-year, $3.5 million fundraising initiative, set last year by the John Stauffer Charitable Trust’s $1 million challenge grant to sustain undergraduate research in the chemical sciences.
Recognizing the need to keep American science students at the forefront of their fields, the Fletcher Jones Foundation has played a vital role in supporting Occidental’s undergraduate science programs. The foundation’s latest $850,000 grant dovetails with previous initiatives established through its generosity, including an endowed chemistry professorship, science equipment purchases and the Fletcher Jones Foundation Science Scholar Award for juniors and seniors. The newly-endowed Fellows summer program will significantly contribute to building a pipeline of undergraduate researchers for the multi-year Science Scholar Awards.
The Fletcher Jones Foundation was incorporated in 1969 in California as a part of Fletcher Jones’ estate plan. After the death of Fletcher Jones in 1972, the original trustees decided that support of the private colleges and universities in California should be their primary emphasis.
A nationally recognized, highly selective college of the liberal arts and sciences – one of the few located in a major city – 121-year-old Occidental is at the forefront of interdisciplinary, intercultural education. With 1,850 students drawn from 45 states and 22 countries and a variety of backgrounds, Occidental’s mission is to provide a gifted and diverse group of students with a total educational experience of the highest quality.