A kickoff event was held recently at the home of University of Utah President and Mrs. Michael K. Young to announce the establishment of the ARCS Utah Chapter at the University of Utah.  Established in 1958, the ARCS Foundation's mission is to provide “scholar awards to academically outstanding United States citizens studying to complete degrees in science, medicine and engineering, thereby contributing to the advancement of science and technology.”

The Utah Chapter will become the 15th chapter across the country to join the ARCS Foundation, which has 1,500 members in 14 other chapters in 11 states.  Dr. Cecelia Foxley, former Utah Commissioner of Higher Education, will serve as the ARCS Utah Chapter President.

The ARCS Foundation supports students in 46 colleges and universities across the country.  Founded after the launch of the Russian Sputnik, the Foundation has granted almost 13,000 scholarships valued at $70 million to 7,700 students over 50 years. 

During the kickoff event, President and Mrs. Young welcomed more than 50 guests, including representatives from the National ARCS Foundation. Young spoke about the importance of preparing the next generation of leaders in science, medicine and engineering to maintain US technological competitiveness for future generations.

“In terms of increasing the number of highly qualified engineers, the capacity to spread that technological literacy broadly across the educated population of the United States - that part of the population that becomes the business leaders, leaders in science and technology, the leaders in government - becomes an absolutely essential mission for us here at the University of Utah,” Young said.

Other speakers included ARCS Utah Chapter President Cecelia Foxley, Judith Miller, ARCS Past National Board President; and Richard Brown, Dean of the College of Engineering, who spoke about the importance of attracting the best and brightest students to engineering and other scientific disciplines. 

“We really will make a difference in the world,” Brown said. “We attract students who have the drive, imagination, diligence, and intelligence and give them an education that will prepare them to make a huge contribution to solving the world’s important problems.”

The featured speaker for the event was Dr. Siam Ootamasathien, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Urology at the University of Utah where he is engaged in cutting-edge research in bladder development and the use of human and synthetic cells as a potential tissue delivery source for bladder augmentation procedures. As a medical student at the University of Colorado, Dr. Ootamasathien received an ARCS scholarship to encourage his work. Of that award, he said, “ARCS was truly significant to me because it was a strong catalyst for pursuing my basic science interests. The money and recognition were a tremendous stepping-stone. I am committed to basic science research as part of my future.”

The ARCS Foundation has selected the State of Utah and the University of Utah as the initial institution of higher education for the establishment of its newest chapter on the basis of the excellence of its academic and research mission.