The Found Animals Foundation announced the winners of the 2012 Michelson Graduate Student Challenge awards earlier this week. Local grad student and Scripps Research Institute researcher Owen Siggs was one of two students awarded a $15,000 cash award for his top proposal dedicated to the development of a permanent, non-surgical sterilant for dogs and cats.
The other winner was Joseph Rosenthal of Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
The LA-based non-profit, dedicated to reducing the number of euthanized pets in shelters, said 3 million to 4 million animals are euthanized each year in U.S. shelters. It added that most of these animals “are healthy, adoptable pets, put down for no reason other than the lack of a home.”
“We are excited to present these awards to Joseph and Owen, two extremely brilliant minds in their respective fields,” said Aimee Gilbreath, executive director of Found Animals Foundation in a press release. “It’s refreshing to see such innovative ideas and thought-provoking research proposals coming from students. We applaud their efforts and hope to put these proposals into action.”
The two winners now have the opportunity to apply in collaboration with a faculty advisor for a Michelson Grant to fund the projects.
