Helios Education Foundation Invests .5 Million in New Partnership with TGen Partnership Extends Funding for Bioscience Summer Internship Program Over the Next 25 Years

PHOENIX, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Helios Education Foundation today awarded .5 million to the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) as part of a new partnership that extends the Helios Scholars Program at TGen for the next 25 years. The program helps cultivate new scientific and technical talent across the state of Arizona.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080129/CLTU087 )

"Helios Education Foundation's commitment to develop a long term partnership with TGen for student training is an incredible boost for Arizona's future in the biosciences," Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano said. "Arizona is poised to become a world leader in cutting-edge medical education and health care, but only if we provide the necessary training and mentorship. These types of public-private partnerships hold the key to what must be the central goal of an Arizona education: giving our students the skills they need to succeed in the high-tech, high-knowledge world of the 21st century."

The Helios Scholars Program at TGen is an annual summer internship program for 45 high school, undergraduate and graduate students in Arizona. Interns receive a stipend, are paired with a TGen scientist/mentor and are actively engaged in research projects in disorders as diverse as cancer, diabetes, autism and Alzheimer's disease. The eight-week program supports students from all backgrounds in their efforts to develop foundational skills as they pursue careers in science or medical-related fields.

"Creating opportunities in education that have math and science at their core is very important to Helios Education Foundation," said the Foundation's Chairman Vince Roig. "We are excited to invest .5 million in this innovative and unique program at TGen because it opens new doors into the world of the biosciences for Arizona students. We're even more excited to be investing in a long-term partnership that will impact the future growth and development of the sciences in Arizona."

Helios Education Foundation provided funding for TGen's 2007 summer internship program, which included a stipend for students. This led to a sizable increase in the number of qualified student applications from around the State. The .5 million endowment enables TGen to extend its competitive internship program for 25 years and provide a stipend and other support for students. The Helios Scholars Program at TGen also encourages student diversity, with upwards of 20 percent of the interns coming from underrepresented populations.

"We are excited to continue and expand our partnership with the Helios Education Foundation," said TGen president, Dr. Jeffrey Trent. "Our shared commitment to training the next generation of researchers provides an unparalleled opportunity for Arizona and those students seeking hands-on training to augment their classroom experience. For many of these students, this experience will prove to be a defining moment in focusing their career choices across the biosciences."

Applications are now available on-line at the TGen website: http://www.tgen.org/education . Interns must be a resident of Arizona or a full-time student at an Arizona-based high school, accredited college or university. The application deadline is March 14. Attributes that investigators consider in selecting students include a strong desire to conduct independent research, interests, academic achievement, curiosity, ambition, and aptitude for working independently and with a team. The application process is competitive, but many different backgrounds and abilities are represented among the students selected.

In addition to the stipends, Helios Education Foundation and TGen recognize each student as a Helios Scholar. The endowment also funds an end- of-the-summer symposium where students present their work to their peers, TGen staff, family and guests. Additionally, the endowment provides six merit-based scholarships and supports several extra curricular activities to encourage student interaction and learning.

TGen's past summer interns boast an array of impressive accomplishments, including publishing scientific abstracts and peer-reviewed articles, gaining acceptance into medical and graduate school and winning scholarships and prizes. In 2005, TGen interns Albert Shieh and Anne Lee took first place in the team category at the 2005-2006 Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology. The interns split a 00,000 scholarship.

About Helios Education Foundation

Helios Education Foundation is the largest nonprofit organization serving Arizona and Florida focused solely on education. The Foundation's endowment is in excess of 00 million. Helios Education Foundation is dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals in Arizona and Florida by creating opportunities for success in postsecondary education. The Foundation's community investments are made across three impact areas: Early Childhood Education, the Transition Years (grades 5-12) and Postsecondary Education. Since inception in 2004, Helios Education Foundation has invested nearly 2 million into education-related programs and initiatives in both states. For more information, visit the Foundation online at http://www.helios.org/.

About TGen

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the performance of groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at TGen is focused on developing earlier diagnostics and smarter treatments for diseases such as cancer, neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of translational research where investigators are able to unravel the genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process. TGen's vision is of a world where an understanding of genomic variation can be rapidly translated to the diagnosis and treatment of disease in a manner tailored to individual patients. For more information, visit TGen online at http://www.tgen.org/.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080129/CLTU087
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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Helios Education Foundation

CONTACT: Ian Smith of Helios Education Foundation, 1-813-387-0221, or
ismith@helios.org; or Galen Perry of TGen, 1-602-343-8423, or
gperry@tgen.org

Web site: http://www.helios.org/
http://www.tgen.org/