(Posted April 25, 2011)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Steven Strutt, a sophomore at Juniata College from Ellwood City, Pa. studying biology and French, received a scholarship from the Amgen Scholars Program to study and perform research this summer at a laboratory at the University of California-San Francisco.

Strutt, the son of Nancy Strutt and Craig Strutt, both of Ellwood City, will work as an undergraduate researcher in a microbiology laboratory at the University of California-San Francisco. He will work at the lab from May 24 through early August and attend the Amgen Scholars U.S. Symposium in Lake Tahoe, Calif.

"It's one of my goals to do postdoctoral work or even find a job in France."

Steven Strutt, a sophomore studying biology and French

He is a 2009 graduate of Lincoln Junior/Senior High School.

The financial support for the program varies by institution, but all scholars receive a living stipend, room, board and a travel allowance both to the Lake Tahoe symposium and travel to and from their host university.

The Amgen scholars can study at one of 10 sites across the country, including the California Institute of Technology, Columbia University/Barnard College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Washington, Washington University (St. Louis), and four University of California campuses: Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.

Strutt has not been assigned to a specific lab at UCSF, but he hopes to work on molecular biology and genetics in the university's Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. Strutt already has garnered research experience. He was awarded an internship in summer 2010 at the University of Pittsburgh, where he worked with a professor studying the genetics of Werner Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes the appearance of premature aging.

This coming academic year, Strutt will study abroad in France at the University of Lille. He will take science courses there and also hopes to work in a research lab. "It's one of my goals to do postdoctoral work or even find a job in France," he says.

Strutt has been active on the Juniata campus, where he participates in the French Club and the Juniata chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

The Amgen Foundation has donated $34 million over the past eight years to give about 2,400 undergraduates hands-on research experience. The Amgen Foundation seeks to advance science education; improve patient access to quality care; and strengthen communities where Amgen employees live and work. Since 1991, the foundation has made more than $140 million in grants to various nonprofit organizations throughout the United States and Europe.

Amgen is a biotechnology company specializing in biopharmaceutical projects such as Enbrel, Epogen and Neulasta.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.