Murdock Scholars program prepares undergraduates for a career in research

The 2010-11 Murdock Scholars with their mentors.

On July 30, this year’s cohort of Murdock Scholars gathered to present the findings of their research to an audience that included OHSU mentors, local college mentors, and representatives of the Murdock Trust. Murdock scholars are young scientists who spend ten weeks during the summer between their junior and senior undergraduate years working full-time on a scientific project under the direction of an established OHSU scientist. During their senior year, the scholars will continue to work part-time with their mentors to complete their research projects and write their scientific theses.

The Murdock Scholars Program at OHSU, funded by the trustees of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and directed by Dr. David Farrell at the OHSU Heart Research Center, brings the brightest science majors from local private institutions of higher education to work in the nationally recognized laboratories of the OHSU Heart Research Center and the Knight Cancer Institute. The Murdock Scholars Program was created in 1993 to address the national concern that outstanding science students were choosing private medical practice over medical research. Since the program started, 129 scholars have “graduated,” many of whom have gone on to do extremely well in graduate and medical school.  Some have joined MD/PhD programs, and others have become faculty members in academic institutions.

2010-2011 Murdock Scholars:

• Sarah Click, Linfield College
• Stephanie Ho, Willamette University
• Nicole Iranon, University of Portland
• Whitney Nelson, Pacific University
• Alexandra Pardis, George Fox University
• Jacob Pearson, Concordia University
• Bryce Rasmussen, Warner Pacific College

For more information about the program, or to find out how to participate as a mentor next year, contact Lisa Rhuman at the OHSU Heart Research Center.