Amgen Scholars Program Video: Karla Ramos Profile

Continuing its mission to advance science education and inspire the next generation of scientists, the Amgen Foundation is launching Phase II of its signature initiative, Amgen Scholars. From 2011 to 2014, the Amgen Foundation will continue to partner with 13 of the world’s top universities to provide hundreds of selected undergraduate students an opportunity to engage in hands-on research experiences over the summer.

In the past four years, nearly 1,200 Amgen Scholars — representing 327 different colleges and universities across the U.S. and Europe — have tried cutting edge research in fields ranging from bioinformatics to medical genetics.

Phase II will give hundreds more students like Karla Ramos, who studies at the University of Puerto Rico, the chance to explore research questions that might not otherwise be available. In the summer of 2010, Ramos worked in Michael Marletta’s laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. For Ramos, the experience has confirmed that she’s on the right path. “It has been life changing,” she says.