Toward Mentoring Excellence, Stony Brook University Commits Resources to SU2C
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VIPs at the New York City screening event for “Ken Burns Presents Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.” The SU2C / PBS mentoring education initiative involving Stony Brook was announced at the screening. Pictured are: Stony Brook Cancer Center Director Dr. Yusuf Hannun, second from right, with Ken Burns (far right), and Dr. Lina Obeid, Dean for Research at Stony Brook University School of Medicine. From far left: Barak Goodman, creator of the film; Siddhartha Mukherjee, author ofThe Emperor of All Maladies, and Katie Couric. Credit: Jason DeCrow |
Stony Brook, NY, March 25, 2015
– Stony Brook University is the first higher education institution committed to providing cancer researchers as mentors to high school students under a program run by “Stand Up To Cancer” (SU2C) and PBS LearningMedia. Called the EMPEROR Science Award Program, the education initiative encourages students from economically disadvantaged high schools to pursue careers in science, with a particular emphasis on cancer research through a year of mentorship with a scientist from a leading research institution or industry.
Known as an institution that provides undergraduate students with opportunities to conduct research, Stony Brook University is also a national leader in providing research mentoring programs and opportunities for qualified high school students in STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) disciplines. As part of the EMPEROR Science Award Program, researchers from the Stony Brook University Cancer Center will mentor qualifying students.
According to SU2C, applications will be available in August 2015 for the program on PBS LearningMedia’s website and on the SU2C website. Students may apply for awards or may be nominated by teachers. The first 100 Awardees, high school students from Title I, or similarly “economically disadvantaged” schools, who will receive one-on-one science mentoring over the course of a year or an intensive summer schedule, as well as $1,500 grants, will be announced in late 2015. Students will be connected with science mentors from a host of high-profile medical research centers, from among more than 100 SU2C-affiliated institutions as well as universities and industry leaders in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The education initiative was announced on March 24 in connection with “Ken Burns Presents Cancer: The EMPEROR of All Maladies,” a film by Barak Goodman which will air on PBS as a three-part series on Monday, March 30, Tuesday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 1.
“The need to increase cancer research to discover cures for many forms of cancer remains a top priority nationally, and this program will provide a pipeline to mentor a new generation of budding cancer researchers,” said Yusuf Hannun, MD, Director of the Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Vice Dean for Cancer Medicine, and the Joel Kenny Professor of Medicine. “We are thrilled to be the first Cancer Center to support this educational initiative and believe our research faculty will be ideal mentors for the selected students.”
