Blog Post: Helios Education Foundation Invests $6.5 Million in New Partnership with TGen

Helios Education Foundation today awarded $6.5 million to the Translational Genomics Research Institute
(TGen) as part of a new partnership that extends the Helios Scholars Program at TGen for the next 25 years. The program helps cultivate new scientific and technical talent across the state of Arizona.

"Helios Education Foundation's commitment to develop a long term partnership with TGen for student training is an incredible boost for Arizona's future in the biosciences," Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano
said. "Arizona is poised to become a world leader in cutting-edge medical education and health care, but only if we provide the necessary training and mentorship. These types of public-private partnerships hold the key to what must be the central goal of an Arizona education: giving our students the skills they need to succeed in the high-tech, high-knowledge world of the 21st century." 

The Helios Scholars Program at TGen is an annual summer internship
program for 45 high school, undergraduate and graduate students in Arizona.
Interns receive a stipend, are paired with a TGen scientist/mentor and are
actively engaged in research projects in disorders as diverse as cancer,
diabetes, autism and Alzheimer's disease. The eight-week program supports
students from all backgrounds in their efforts to develop foundational
skills as they pursue careers in science or medical-related fields.

    "Creating opportunities in education that have math and science at
their core is very important to Helios Education Foundation," said the
Foundation's Chairman Vince Roig. "We are excited to invest $6.5 million in
this innovative and unique program at TGen because it opens new doors into
the world of the biosciences for Arizona students. We're even more excited
to be investing in a long-term partnership that will impact the future
growth and development of the sciences in Arizona."

    Helios Education Foundation provided funding for TGen's 2007 summer
internship program, which included a stipend for students. This led to a
sizable increase in the number of qualified student applications from
around the State. The $6.5 million endowment enables TGen to extend its
competitive internship program for 25 years and provide a stipend and other
support for students. The Helios Scholars Program at TGen also encourages
student diversity, with upwards of 20 percent of the interns coming from
underrepresented populations.

    "We are excited to continue and expand our partnership with the Helios
Education Foundation," said TGen president, Dr. Jeffrey Trent. "Our shared
commitment to training the next generation of researchers provides an
unparalleled opportunity for Arizona and those students seeking hands-on
training to augment their classroom experience. For many of these students,
this experience will prove to be a defining moment in focusing their career
choices across the biosciences."

    Applications are now available on-line at the TGen website:
http://www.tgen.org/education . Interns must be a resident of Arizona or a
full-time student at an Arizona-based high school, accredited college or
university. The application deadline is March 14. Attributes that
investigators consider in selecting students include a strong desire to
conduct independent research, interests, academic achievement, curiosity,
ambition, and aptitude for working independently and with a team. The
application process is competitive, but many different backgrounds and
abilities are represented among the students selected.

    In addition to the stipends, Helios Education Foundation and TGen
recognize each student as a Helios Scholar. The endowment also funds an
end- of-the-summer symposium where students present their work to their
peers, TGen staff, family and guests. Additionally, the endowment provides
six merit-based scholarships and supports several extra curricular
activities to encourage student interaction and learning.

    TGen's past summer interns boast an array of impressive
accomplishments, including publishing scientific abstracts and
peer-reviewed articles, gaining acceptance into medical and graduate school
and winning scholarships and prizes. In 2005, TGen interns Albert Shieh and
Anne Lee took first place in the team category at the 2005-2006 Siemens
Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology. The interns split
a $100,000 scholarship.

    About Helios Education Foundation

    Helios Education Foundation is the largest nonprofit organization
serving Arizona and Florida focused solely on education. The Foundation's
endowment is in excess of $600 million. Helios Education Foundation is
dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals in Arizona and Florida by
creating opportunities for success in postsecondary education. The
Foundation's community investments are made across three impact areas:
Early Childhood Education, the Transition Years (grades 5-12) and
Postsecondary Education. Since inception in 2004, Helios Education
Foundation has invested nearly $42 million into education-related programs
and initiatives in both states. For more information, visit the Foundation
online at http://www.helios.org.

    About TGen

    The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a non-profit
501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the performance of groundbreaking
research with life changing results. Research at TGen is focused on
developing earlier diagnostics and smarter treatments for diseases such as
cancer, neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the genetic
components of common and complex diseases. Working with collaborators in
the scientific and medical communities, TGen believes it can make a
substantial contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of the
translational process. TGen's vision is of a world where an understanding
of genomic variation can be rapidly translated to the diagnosis and
treatment of disease in a manner tailored to individual patients. For more
information, visit TGen online at http://www.tgen.org.