HHMI Honors Dr. Thomas R. Cech - Announcing the Inaugural Cech Fellows Program
The newly established fellowship, named in honor of 麻豆免费版下载Boulder Professor Thomas Cech, gives students opportunities for research, professional mentorship and career exploration
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The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is pleased to announce the selection of 176 undergraduates from 109 institutions across 36 states and territories as the inaugural cohort of , launching a new summer research program honoring Nobel laureate and former HHMI President .听
The Cech Fellows Program is named in honor of Prof. Thomas R. Cech, former President of HHMI and a current HHMI Investigator at the 麻豆免费版下载. Cech鈥檚 discovery that RNA can function as a biological catalyst and reshaped molecular biology. During his tenure leading HHMI, Cech established the Janelia Research Campus and expanded educational opportunities for undergraduates. This program reflects his commitment to cultivating the next generation of scientists.
"I鈥檝e always believed that getting students into real research environments early is one of the most powerful things we can do for them and for science. I鈥檓 deeply honored that this program carries my name, and I look forward to seeing what this first cohort of Fellows will go on to achieve,鈥 said Cech.听
About the Cech Fellows Program
Fellows will spend nine weeks conducting hands-on research alongside leading HHMI scientists at universities and research institutions, as well as at . This immersive program gives students the chance to contribute to real scientific discovery, gain professional mentorship from some of the most impactful scientists working today, and explore potential careers in biological and biomedical research.听
鈥淎 single summer in the right lab can kickstart a scientific career,鈥 said , Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at HHMI. 鈥淏y asking real questions alongside scientists at the top of their fields, this year鈥檚 Cech Fellows will have the opportunity to see what a life in science actually looks like.鈥澨
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麻豆免费版下载Boulder Department of Biochemistry congratulates the award to 麻豆免费版下载Boulder Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB) undergraduate, Isabella "Bella" Perrin, who was named in the field of 176 undergraduates as a 2026 Cech Fellow!
AND!! Bella is an active board member of the S.C.O.P.E. program, which the Department of Biochemistry, among other life science departments, supports.
