FAIRFAX, VA. - June 29, 2009 - UNCF"“the United Negro College Fund"“the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization, and the global research-based pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc., today announced awards of scholarships and fellowships to 37 African American biological and chemical science students. The awards were part of the UNCF/Merck Science Initiative, a fifteen-year partnership that has supported 516 promising undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral science students. UNCF/Merck recipients have gone on to pursue careers in a wide range of disciplines, from biochemistry and microbiology to pharmacology, neuroscience, biophysics, chemistry and bioengineering.

UNCF/Merck scholarships and fellowships include financial support, hands-on training, close mentoring and networking relationships and institutional support. Recipients are chosen through a competitive application process that selects candidates based on their academic achievements and potential in the field of biomedical research.

"American economic and scientific competitiveness depend on our ability to meet the demand for a more diverse and better-educated workforce by building a pipeline of minority students in the biosciences that starts in preschool and extends through undergraduate study, graduate school and post-doctoral programs," said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., UNCF president and CEO. "Merck’s investment in the future of science and education will develop the next generation of research scientists, professors, and teachers of tomorrow."

Between now and 2050, according to the Brookings Institution, the number of African Americans and Hispanics will grow from about 25 percent to nearly 40 percent of the working-age population, and will account for more than 90 percent of total growth in that age range. Considering the increasingly technology-and innovation-driven nature of the global economy, minority and low income students remain significantly under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics-the STEM-related fields of study. For every 10,000 ninth grade students in the bottom income quartile in their respective communities, (a demographic which includes a disproportionate number of minorities), only 30 will graduate with a bachelors degree in STEM-related fields, according to "The Narrowing STEM Pipeline for Low-income Students in the US," a 2008 report released by the Louis Stokes Institute for Opportunity in STEM Education.

America’s global competitors, meanwhile, train STEM professionals at a rate far outpacing that of the US. In China, 50 percent of all students receiving undergraduate degrees have majored in natural science or engineering. In South Korea, the figure is 38 percent; in France 47 percent and Singapore 67 percent. But only 15 percent of American college graduates received their degrees in natural science or engineering according to a study by the National Academy of Sciences in 2006.

Understanding the demand and need to address that challenge, Merck awarded UNCF a 10-year $20 million grant in 1995, targeting students pursuing careers in biomedical research at the undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels. The UNCF/Merck Science Initiative program supported by the Merck Institute for Science Education and Merck Research Laboratories, was renewed in 2006 to provide more than $13 million in additional funding through 2010.

"Merck is committed to helping advance scientific innovation by cultivating a diverse approach to research and development," said Peter S. Kim, president, Merck Research Laboratories. "We are proud of our continued partnership with the UNCF and our shared desire to foster the future leaders in science and biomedical research."

The 2009 UNCF/Merck Fellows may receive awards ranging up to $25,000 for undergraduate scholarship recipients and up to $85,000 for post doctoral fellowships . In addition, UNCF/Merck fellows from 1996-2008 have organized a group, the Association of UNCF/Merck Fellows, to facilitate continued professional growth. This network allows former Fellows to collaborate in academia, government and the private sector by leveraging the collective wealth of knowledge and experience they share in varying scientific, technical and biomedical backgrounds.

"The UNCF/Merck Science Initiative program not only supported my postdoctoral research, but it also exposed me to a powerful support network that has helped to strengthen my career. The program has allowed me to interact with world-class scientists, both in industry and academia," said Nikia A. Laurie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Children's Memorial Research Center and Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine and a graduate of UNCF member institution Xavier University.

The UNCF/Merck Science Initiative scholarships, fellowships, internships and institutional support target students at three levels including undergraduate students entering their final matriculation year, graduate students in their final two-to-three years of dissertation research, and postdoctoral fellows continuing their training at academic or nonacademic research institutions. African-American Life and Physical Science students at all four-year colleges and universities in the United States are eligible to apply for the scholarship. The awards include scholarships or fellowships for Fellows and funding for the science departments at the colleges and universities they attend. Undergraduate Fellows receive summer research internships at Merck Research Laboratories, where each Fellow is paired with a mentor who provides valuable research assistance, guidance and support.

About UNCF

UNCF-the United Negro College Fund-is the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students' education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 39 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 18 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at www.UNCF.org.

About Merck
Merck & Co., Inc. is a global research-driven pharmaceutical company dedicated to putting patients first. Established in 1891, Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines to address unmet medical needs. The company is widely recognized for its extensive efforts to increase access to medicines through far-reaching programs that not only donate Merck medicines but help deliver them to the people who need them. Merck also publishes unbiased health information as a not-for-profit service. For more information, visit www.merck.com.

About Merck Institute for Science Education
The Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE) is a non-profit organization established by Merck & Co., Inc. in 1993 to improve science education in public schools and raise the levels of science performance for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Now expanded to include college and graduate-level education, MISE works to build capacity in the biomedical sciences through partnerships with education institutions. For more information, visit www.mise.org.

2009 UNCF/MERCK SCIENCE INITIATIVE FELLOWS

Undergraduate Science Research Scholarship Awards (up to $25,000 each)

• Olutobi Ajala, College of Saint Elizabeth, (Morristown, NJ)
  
• Kofi Atta-Boateng, Albany State University, (Albany, GA)
• Crystal Azu, Emory University, (Atlanta, GA)
  
• Shekelia Baccus, Morris College, (Sumter, SC)
  
• Ashiya Buckels, Spelman College, (Atlanta, GA)
  
• Monique Foster, University of Maryland Baltimore County, (Baltimore, MD)
  
• Jocelyn Gipson, University of Alabama, Birmingham, (Birmingham, AL)
  
• Brittany Katz, Dillard University, (New Orleans, LA)
  
• Brandon Mcclary, University of Maryland Baltimore County, (Baltimore, MD)
  
• Michael Mckenzie, University of Wisconsin-Madison, (Madison, WI)
  
• Elizabeth Millings, State University of New York at Stony Brook, (Stony Brook, NY)
  
• Harold (Wes) Phillips, Yale University, (New Haven, CT)
  
• Maria Stevens, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus, (University Park, PA)
  
• Renecia Watkins, California State University, Dominguez Hills, (Carson, CA)
  
• Jasmaine Williams, University of Georgia, (Athens, GA)

• Eilaf Ahmed, University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
  
• Erin Baker, University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)
  
• Betty Booker, University of Alabama, Birmingham (Birmingham, AL)
  
• Fopefolu Folowosele, John Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)
  
• Ryan Grant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, IL)
  
• Melody Kelley, University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)
  
• Isaac Kinde, John Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)
  
• Lorenna Lee-Houghton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
  
• Fatima Soliman, Weill Cornell Medical College (New York, NY)
  
• Dennis Spencer, The Rockefeller University (New York, NY)
  
• Gretchen Stanton, University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
  
• Tanya Williams, Weill Cornell Medical College (New York, NY)

• Eyitayo Fakunle, Ph.D., University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (La Jolla, CA)
  
• Deveroux Ferguson, Ph.D., Mount Sinai School Of Medicine (NY, NY)
  
• Omar Fisher, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
  
• Courtney Goodwin, Ph.D., John Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)
  
• Corey Harwell, Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
  
• Asegun Henry, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Knoxville, TN)
  
• M. Nia Madison, Ph.D., Meharry Medical College (Nashville, TN)
  
• Stephanie Morris, Ph.D., National Institute of Health (Bethesda, MD)
  
• Glenn Rowe, Ph.D., Harvard University (Boston, MA)
  
• Temitope Sodunke, Ph.D., Harvard University (Boston, MA)

Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc.

At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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