"The award selections are based on criteria that evaluate the quality and scientific merit of the proposed research program and the quality of the interdisciplinary research model that brings together biology and chemistry," said Susan Painter, Manager, Academic Programs, External Scientific Affairs, Merck Research Laboratories. "The schools are selected by a panel of scientists and educators selected by the AAAS. Merck has no influence on or input into the selection of the 15 schools."

Public and private colleges and universities must meet certain criteria to compete. They must be located in the United States or Puerto Rico, offer an American Chemical Society-approved program in chemistry and confer 10 or fewer graduate degrees annually in biology and chemistry combined. Winners of the Merck/AAAS awards are announced during the AAAS Annual Meeting, which this year is taking place in San Francisco, 15-20 February. For additional information, send questions to Merck@AAAS.org.

The Merck Company Foundation is a U.S.-based private, charitable foundation. Established in 1957 by Merck & Co., Inc., the foundation is funded entirely by the company. The mission of the foundation is to advance biomedical science training and education and to improve health care worldwide. Since its inception, more than $254 million have been contributed by the Foundation to support biomedical education and health care, as well as social service, arts and cultural, civic, environmental, and other non-profit organizations.

Founded in 1848, AAAS is the worlds largest federation of scientists with more than 138,000 individual members and 273 affiliated societies. The Association publishes the weekly, peer-reviewed journal Science and administers EurekAlert! (www.eurekalert.org
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Contact: Cate Alexander
calexand@aaas.org
202-326-6431
American Association for the Advancement of Science
15-Feb-2001