August 18, 2008
Van Andel Institute officials, faculty and invited guests welcome 2008-2009 graduate school class, which will work closely with Van Andel Research Institute scientists
Grand Rapids, MI (August 18, 2008) – In a ceremony attended by Van Andel Institute (VAI) officials, faculty, students and their families, VAI Graduate School today marked the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year with an opening convocation held at Van Andel Institute’s Tomatis Auditorium. Van Andel Education Institute Director Gordon Van Harn, Ph.D., delivered the keynote address.
“The Van Andel Institute Graduate School blends the two worlds of the Institute: research and education,” said Van Andel Institute Chairman & CEO David Van Andel. “The collaboration of research and education is critical to advances in science. This combination not only enhances our fight against today’s diseases, but allows us to inspire tomorrow’s scientists, ensuring that we have a prepared workforce to tackle known and yet unimagined challenges.”
The incoming class of three students, Rob Antecki,(B.S., Aquinas College, 2007), Jonathan Karnes, 28, (B.S., Calvin College, 2003), and Laura Westrate, 22, (B.A./B.S., Hope College, 2008) enters with the goal of becoming Ph.D. scientists trained as leading scholars in cell, molecular and genetic biology relevant to human diseases. The students will work closely with Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) investigators, who serve as the school’s faculty. Courses blend traditional disciplines into a novel, problem-based curriculum that closely represents the way scientists conduct research. Initial plans call for the admission of two to four additional students each year for the next four to five years. Once the current VAI expansion is complete, the program would recruit eight to 10 students per year with ultimate capacity planned at about 45 students.
“We have one goal clearly in mind,” said VAI Graduate School Dean Steven J. Triezenberg, Ph.D. “We want to train professional scientists, not just teach material to students. The students trained here will be pioneers in the daunting tasks of understanding the intricacies of human health.”
The VAI Graduate School doctoral program received an independent charter from the state of Michigan to confer advanced degrees and focuses research on the biology of various human diseases. The program is designed to provide students with a wider view of the connections between academia, biotech firms and the pharmaceutical industry. An emphasis on translational research, which stresses converting basic science into applicable therapies, means that students will be exposed not only to the perspective of the research scientist but will also gain insight into clinical practice and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
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Established by Jay and Betty Van Andel in 1996, the Van Andel Institute is an independent research organization dedicated to preserving, enhancing and expanding the frontiers of medical science, and to achieving excellence in education by probing fundamental issues of education and the learning process.