Partnership offers research and work experience to Penn graduate students

An academic and research partnership has been created that enables University of Pennsylvania graduate students in the Master of Chemical Sciences program to apply and complete research within the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, the nation’s leading nonprofit research organization dedicated to hepatitis B and liver cancer, which is based in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. This agreement helps provide Blumberg Institute with outstanding individuals to work in its labs and offers Penn’s graduate students the opportunity to be mentored while they secure real-world research experience in order to enter or advance in the chemistry profession.

Nora E. Lewis, Vice Dean of Professional and Liberal Education, within Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences, said, “Our Master of Chemical Sciences is another example of how the School of Arts and Sciences strives to develop programs that integrate knowledge and place an emphasis on innovative understanding and discovery. With this agreement with Blumberg, our master’s degree students are able to extend the expertise of Penn’s research and teaching. They will apply what they’ve learned from our exceptional faculty within the professional domain and provide Blumberg scientists the opportunity to mentor, and potentially employ, gifted graduate students. This strategic partnership will help those enrolled in our Master of Chemical Sciences program create a positive impact on the Blumberg Institute and its mission to find a cure for hepatitis B in our lifetime.”

“We are very excited about this new partnership, which opens up new opportunities for students from Bucks County to get the Penn experience, and for Penn students to benefit from the entrepreneurial spirit of the Blumberg Institute and the Pennsylvania Biotech Center,” said Dr. Tim Block, President of the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute. “This is a great synergistic partnership that will benefit not just the students and these two institutions, but all of us, as we work to advance therapies to combat hepatitis B for the millions infected worldwide.”

The Master of Chemical Sciences is a newly developed academic program offered by the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies, which is a division of the School of Arts and Sciences. The professional master’s degree is designed to provide students with a well-rounded foundation in a blend of chemistry topics. Whether they are interested in pursuing careers in this profession, or are already working within the pharmaceutical or chemical industries, the Master of Chemical Sciences offers full and part-time options to enable them to pursue their education without interrupting their careers.

The curriculum is structured with a combination of core concentration and elective courses, to address the students’ interests and goals. As a culminating exercise, they must complete an individual capstone course that demonstrates their ability to define a project, develop appropriate methods, complete research and present their results in a clear and concise manner. The agreement between the University of Pennsylvania and the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute will now provide students the opportunity to complete their capstone research project and be guided by an on-site supervisor. For more information about the Masters of Chemical Sciences, visit www.upenn.edu/chemistry.

About Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies:

Housed within the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts and Sciences, the College of Liberal and Professional Studies offers innovative programs that attract highly motivated students. From degree and non-degree options at the undergraduate, post-baccalaureate and graduate levels, Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies also offers a host of summer programs which are located on-campus, abroad and online. For more information about the breadth of programs available, visit www.upenn.edu/lps.

 About Baruch S. Blumberg Institute:

Established in 2003 by the nonprofit Hepatitis B Foundation, the Institute is an independent, nonprofit research center created to conduct discovery research and nurture translational biotechnology in an environment conducive to interaction, collaboration and focus. It was renamed in 2013 to honor Baruch S. Blumberg, the man who won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the hepatitis B virus. To learn more, visit www.blumberginstitute.org.