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NEI Grantee Named U.S. Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences

NEI grantee Bart Krekelberg, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular and behavioral neuroscience at Rutgers University in Newark, N.J., has been named one of 20 U.S. Pew Scholars for 2007.

In June, Dr. Krekelberg was awarded a grant from the NEI to investigate the nerve cell mechanisms and networks in the brain that allow perception to be stable in spite of the rapid movement of the eyes. The purpose of the study is "to help develop treatment programs for neurological disorders of vision and rehabilitation after trauma and disease."

The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences is funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts through a grant to the University of California at San Francisco. This highly competitive award program was established in 1985 to provide financial support to early or mid-career investigators who demonstrate innovation and outstanding promise in their research. Each scholar receives $240,000 over four years to support his or her research.

Applicants are nominated by invited institutions. For 2007, the Pew Scholars Program invited 148 institutions to submit nominations. The scholars were selected by a national advisory committee chaired by former NEI grantee, 1981 Nobel laureate, and 2005 National Medal of Science awardee Dr. Torsten N. Wiesel. Dr. Wiesel is president emeritus of Rockefeller University.