LIVERMORE, Calif. -- February 11, 2008 – The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation named 55 university students, selected from more than 582 applicants, as finalists for its annual Fellowship for graduate studies in the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences.
One of the nation’s most coveted research grants, the Hertz Foundation Fellowship has provided generous financial support, without research or university restrictions, to the nation’s most promising young scientists for 45 years. Each of the current finalists passed one round of rigorous interviews, and must complete another before only 15 to 20 are selected for the full, five-year Hertz Foundation Fellowship valued at nearly a quarter of a million dollars each. Awardees will be announced by April 1, 2008, and may enter the 2008-2009 academic year as a Hertz Fellow at the American university of their choice.
“The most significant scientific advances come from creative, innovative and forward-thinking scientists who have the insight and the commitment to pursue very difficult problems," says distinguished physicist John C. Browne, PhD, director, Hertz Foundation Board. "It is now more urgent than ever -- with the challenges facing our world -- that we continue to invest in young scientific talent. Doing so will secure and strengthen America's competitive position in the global economy." "The finalists this year represent the best and brightest young scientific talent America has to offer," says Hertz Foundation President John F. Holzrichter, PhD, Hertz Fellow 1969. "In the future, I know we will see great innovations from this pool of talent; innovations that will drive government, academia and private sector contributions to improve our world."
Hertz Fellows include Nobel laureates and many notable scientific and business leaders, each receiving early support via a prestigious Hertz Fellowship, including:
• John Mather, the 2006 Nobel Prize laureate in physics, who helped cement the Big Bang theory of the universe;
• Nathan Myhrvold, former Microsoft chief technology officer and entrepreneur;
• Carl Wieman, the 2001 Nobel Prize laureate in physics, who was also named Professor of the Year
in 2004 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education; and
• Mike Montemerlo, Stanford researcher and designer for the robot Stanley, which won the DARPA Grand Challenge in 2005.
Hertz Fellows each receive up to $240,000 over five years to pursue their research under the guidance of exceptional professors at top universities in the United States. The no-strings-attached support gives Hertz Fellows financial independence, and the freedom to conduct innovative research because their university or study choices are not limited by strict funding requirements. Since its founding in 1963, the Hertz Foundation has funded nearly 1,100 Hertz Fellows at 36 of the finest schools in the U.S, providing direct financial support valued today at more than $120 million.
A list of the 55 Hertz Foundation Fellowship Finalists
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