6 WEEKLYPRESS.COM · UCREVIEW.COM · JULY 18 · 2012


37 African American Students Awarded Prestigious UNCF/Merck Science Initiative Scholarships


T


he UNCF/Merck Science Initiative, a partnership of UNCF (United Negro College Fund), the nation’s largest and most effective minority education orga-


nization, and Merck, a global healthcare leader working to help the world be well, just announced that it would award scholarships and fellowships to 37 African American students of biological science and engineering. In addi- tion to building a pipeline of African American college students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines, the UNCF/Merck Science Initiative (UMSI) works to leverage the UNCF-Merck partnership and the talent of UNCF Merck Fellows to help support the pipeline of minority students by engaging and at- tracting them to STEM subjects as early as elementary school.


Now in its seventeenth year, UMSI is a twenty-year partnership that has supported 627 scholarships and fellowships to promising undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral science students pursuing careers in bio- medical research. UNCF Merck Fellows have attended 196 schools, some our nation’s best private and public colleges and universities including ivy league schools like Princeton University, Yale University and Duke Uni- versity; flagship universities like University of Georgia and University of California, Berkeley and UNCF Mem- ber Institutions like Xavier University, Claflin University and Morehouse College. The UNCF/Merck scholarships and fellowships provide the UMSI scientists and future scientists with financial support, hands-on training, close mentoring and networking relationships, and institu-


tional support. Recipients are chosen through a competi- tive application process that selects candidates based on their academic achievements and potential in the fields of biomedical research and engineering. “Merck’s investment in these promising students and scholars is a significant commitment to building a pipeline of African American students in biosciences and an investment in longer and better lives for millions of people not only in America but around the world,” said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., UNCF president and CEO. “Developing the next generation of researchers, profes- sors, and science and math teachers will also enable our nation to compete in the global economy. I challenge this generation of African American scientists to mentor, advocate and help prepare the next generation of African American scientists, to ensure that younger students get the pre-college education they need to study science in college. It is critical to start introducing our students to science early and it is crucial for these students to have good science and math teachers in their classrooms.” The 2012 UNCF/Merck Fellows receive awards rang-


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ing from $25,000 for undergraduate scholarship recipi- ents to $92,000 for recipients of postdoctoral fellowships. In addition, the program’s alumni have organized the Association of Underrepresented Minority Fellows to facilitate continued professional growth. This network allows UNCF/Merck Fellows to collaborate in academia, government and the private sector to leverage their wealth of scientific, technical and biomedical knowledge and experience. “I am excited to be a part of a program that has contrib- uted so much to increasing the number of African-Amer- ican scientists and engineers,” said Tshaka Cunningham, Ph.D., a biologist who received a Merck Fellowship to pursue new research directions in HIV biology at Rocke- feller University. “In addition to supporting my research, UMSI supported a research project for a Morehouse Col- lege undergraduate who I mentored and who now at- tends medical school at UCLA. The scientists and indus- try professionals I have met through UMSI have become my own friends and mentors and have helped me grow in my career.” This year, Onyemaechi C. Anoruo, of Temple University received an Undergraduate Science Research Scholarship Awards (up to $25,000 each) as a 2012 UNCF/Merck Sci- ence Initiative Fellow. Support from the UNCF/Merck Science Initiative schol- arships targets students entering their final undergradu- ate year, graduate students in their final two-to-three years of dissertation research, and postdoctoral Fellows continuing their research training. African American students in the life, physical and engineering sciences at American four-year colleges and universities are eligible to apply for the scholarship. In addition to scholarships and fellowships, the UNCF/Merck awards may include funding for the science departments at the colleges and universities they attend. Undergraduate Fellows receive summer research internships at Merck Research Labora- tories, where each Fellow is paired with a Merck mentor who provides valuable research assistance, guidance and support. To learn more about the UNCF/Merck Science Initiative, visit http://umsi.uncf.org/.


All teams play to win: the sky is the limit for this new co-ed Philly Adult Softball League


By Napoleon F. Kingcade Sports Reporter


O


livia Phan has yet to figure out how she will stage her home


run celebration when she hits her first homer of the season. But when she does hit her first home run of the season, it will not doubt be a great team celebration when she crosses home plate. For the last few weeks, start- ing back on June 19, Olivia Phan and her great team of co-ed players have been playing the game of softball, a game that they dearly and truly love, at the Mill Creek Recreation Center, located at 48th and Brown Street. Every Tuesday afternoon, players like Olivia are seen lacing up their sneakers and playing the game that keeps them busy hours at a time. A couple of Tuesdays ago, Olivia Phan, a Vietnamese native, was able to give her team a major boost when she crushed a slowly pitched ball into the deep corner of left field. By the time Olivia had cruised into third base with a stand-up triple, three of her team- mates had already crossed home plate. Olivia was seen jumping up and down and clapping her hands. Mean- while her three teammates were seen hugging each other at home plate. Even though Olivia couldn’t join her teammates for the team celebration, she was over- whelmingly happy about her deposit of a three-run triple. Her three-run triple gave her team called The Kids Can Hit Good) a very comfortable 14-0 lead and an easy 16-0 victory. On the mound, Olivia had pitched six whole innings and only allowed five hits to earn her first complete game and first softball league shutout of the season. Her husband, Ian, who plays on the same softball team, was also celebrating his wife’s bases-loaded triple. In the third game that day, there was another player who had a great day at the plate. His name was Evan Thistoe who plays for the Devil’s Alley team. Evan hit for the cycle. He hit a single, double,


triple and home run and knocked in five runs to lead the Devil’s Alley to a 17-5 victory over the Back To The Future team. The Philadelphia Adult League Softball is a new co-ed softball league that operates at the Mill Creek Recreation Center every Tuesday afternoon on the center’s green baseball dia- mond. Four softball games are played every Tuesday starting at 5PM. The last of the four games is played at 9PM. Operated by a com- mittee of six commissioners, the Philadelphia Softball League has grabbed the attention of the Mill Creek Recreation Center and its entire neighborhood as eight softball teams take part in the week-after-week competition. “We are all here to compete, play and to make our league a better league to play in,” said Kelly O’Connor, one of the six co-founders of the league. “Right now we don’t have a whole lot of equip- ment or suitable uniforms, but we all have the spirit and motivation to play ball here in the community.” Operating on a shoestring budget, the Philadelphia Adult League Softball is a league that has the poten- tial to form into a citywide league. With eight softball teams playing on its cur- rent summer schedule, the games are always exciting and great to watch. There’s no age limitation or age requirement to play this co-ed softball league. The youngest person playing in the league is 19-years-old and the oldest person in the league is 56-years old. As a co-ed league, a minimum of four women is required to play on a team. There’s never a dull moment when these players engage in weekly competition with each other. Many games are highlighted when players are seen hitting home runs in the recreation center’s watery pool. The water pool is stationed behind the baseball diamond’s center field fence. Softball fans are always encouraged to stop by the Mill Creek recreation


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