NPF Scholarship Fund 2011
The Natural Products Foundation (NPF) is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the NPF Scholarship Fund.
NPF is actively working to help members of the community meet their professional objectives. A vital part of our efforts include continuing education. By encouraging academic excellence and advancement within the natural products field, NPF intends to strengthen the professionalism of the industry and support knowledgeable leadership for the future.
The purpose of the NPF Scholarship Fund is to provide financial assistance for individuals who are committed to a career in the natural products industry. Specifically, the fund is targeted for students who have demonstrated leadership potential and are enrolled in academic programs to enhance their leadership skills and knowledge of the industry.
Applications to the NPF Scholarship Fund will be accepted from October 1, 2011 through January 31, 2012. Finalists will be determined and assessed through an interview process to take place in the spring of 2012. Award winners will be announced at the 2012 Natural Products Association MarketPlace trade show.
Scholarship Funds will be awarded to applicants on the basis of the following criteria:
Financial need: Applicants must be able to demonstrate personal need for financial aid.
Academic achievement: The applicant must show the ability to accomplish high academic achievement, demonstrated by previous test scores, grades in other courses, or professional achievement.
Leadership: Applicants must demonstrate fundamental leadership skills.
To begin the application process, students may fill out a preliminary form online: naturalproductsfoundation.org/scholar2012 or return an application through fax or post mail: NPF Scholarship Fund Application.
2011 Award Winners
The recipients of the 2011 NPF Scholarship Fund were announced at the Natural Products Association MarketPlace trade show on June 24, 2011 in Las Vegas: Lauren Atwell of Oregon State University and Linda Sousse of the University of Texas Medical Branch.
?The NPF Scholarship Fund has received strong applications from students across the country,? said NPF Chairman Derek Hall. ?This is the first time NPF has awarded scholarships, and we are inspired by the dedication we?ve seen from applicants. After reviewing so many excellent candidates, NPF is pleased to select Ms. Atwell and Ms. Sousse as the first recipients from the fund.?
Lauren Atwell is currently enrolled in the Nutrition Graduate Program at Oregon State University as a Ph.D. candidate. Ms. Atwell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics and a Master's degree in Foods and Nutrition from the University of Georgia. She plans to pursue a career in research, and her academic interests involve investigating the relationships between nutrition and cancer processes at the molecular level.
Currently, Ms. Atwell is researching a compound found in cruciferous vegetables, sulforaphane, and its effects on prostate cancer cells. Understanding cancer cell biology, testing gene-nutrient interactions, and uncovering cell signaling mechanisms are key elements to defining the relationships between nutrient metabolism and cancer. Her future research ambitions include study of nutrient and gene interactions in relation to cancer prevention and treatment.
Linda Sousse recently completed her Ph.D. at the University of Texas Medical Branch in March 2011. Ms. Sousse completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and attended a Master?s program in Business Administration at Texas A&M. She currently studies in the Department of Pathology, conducting research focusing on inhalation injury in burn victims.
On the strength of her dissertation work, she recently had two first author manuscripts accepted, focusing on oxidative stress and the arginase:nitric oxide synthase pathway. Ms. Sousse has presented research at two international and two national conferences: International Society for Burn Injuries in Istanbul, Turkey in July 2010 and Trauma, Shock, Inflammation, and Sepsis in Munich, Germany in March 2010, as well as the American Burn Association in March 2010 and the Shock Society in June 2009. She will be pursuing a post-doctorate education at the Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University.
Individuals and companies interested in making a contribution to the Scholarship Fund, please click here: NPF Scholarship Contributions. If you have any questions about the Scholarship Fund, or how you might become involved in NPF educational efforts, please direct questions to NPF Executive Director Deb Knowles: (202) 223-0101 ext. 115.
