KGI 2008 Commencement Features First PhD Graduate, Biotech Painting
CLAREMONT, Calif., May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) today announced that the May 17, 2008, commencement ceremony will feature the graduation of KGI's first PhD in Applied Life Sciences student, Eric Tan, and the unveiling of KGI's first donated artwork.
"We are very excited and proud of Eric's achievement in becoming the first graduate of our new PhD program," said T. Gregory Dewey, KGI's senior vice president for academic affairs, dean of faculty and Robert E. Finnigan professor. "Eric's academic dedication and original research reflects the kind of performance KGI expects from all of its doctoral students in the PhD program in Applied Life Sciences."
Tan graduated from KGI in 2004 with a Master of Bioscience degree. He then enrolled as the first student in the newly-established PhD program in Applied Life Sciences. For Tan's dissertation on "Isothermal DNA Amplification and Visual Detection for Point of Care Nucleic Acid Detection," he conducted research that contributed to an ongoing project by KGI faculty to develop a hand-held medical device for rapid detection of human pathogens.
During the commencement ceremony, a specially-designed painting by artist Klari Reis will be unveiled. Reis, a San Francisco Bay Area artist specializing in biotech art, donated the painting, Lexapro, as part of the KGI Class of 2008's legacy gift to the school.
Like Reis' other work, Lexapro is a mixed media painting based on magnified, electron microscope images of biological forms found in modern prescription drugs. Lexapro(TM) is a medication developed by Forest Laboratories and Lundbeck designed to treat depression and anxiety.
KGI BACKGROUND
Educating the future leaders of the bioscience industry, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) offers an interdisciplinary graduate education through its Master of Bioscience (MBS) degree program and its PhD program in Applied Life Sciences. Using team-based learning and real-world projects, KGI's innovative curriculum seamlessly combines applied life sciences, bioengineering, bioethics and business management. KGI also has a robust research program concentrating on the translation of basic discoveries in the life sciences into applications that can benefit society. KGI is a member of The Claremont Colleges, located in Claremont, California.
Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences is dedicated to education and research aimed at translating into practice, for the benefit of society, the power and potential of the life sciences.
CONTACT: Noel Brinkerhoff, Dir. of Donor & Media Relations of Keck
Graduate Institute, +1-909-607-0135, nbrinker@kgi.edu
Web site: http://www.kgi.edu/