Robin and Elliot Broidy
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A Gift For Science, International Style
Broidy Fellowships Fund Israeli Scientists at USC College
By Katherine Yungmee Kim
Three life sciences graduate students and two top professors or
postdoctoral fellows from The Technion – Israel Institute for
Technology will be recruited for graduate fellowships and visiting
professorships at USC College.
A $500,000 gift established the Robin and Elliott Broidy Program for
Graduate Fellowships, which will provide two years of full tuition and
reasonable living and travel expenses for students wishing to pursue
studies in computational biology at USC College. The fellowships will
be awarded to Israeli students who have demonstrated exemplary academic
achievement and whose courses of study are grounded in the life
sciences.
USC College is home to one of the leading groups of molecular and
computational biologists in the world. Trailblazing professors such as
Michael Waterman, Simon Tavaré and Norman Arnheim have made key
contributions to genomic sciences, including work crucial to the
success of the Human Genome Project.
Nearly 25 years ago, Waterman helped develop the algorithms for
comparing and analyzing nucleic acid and protein sequences essential to
genome mapping. Tavaré conducted research leading to the development of
BLAST, the most commonly used sequence-analysis software in gene
research. Arnheim co-led the team that discovered the polymerase chain
reaction technology that makes it possible for scientists to amplify a
very small amount of DNA to a quantity large enough for laboratory
study.
Graduate fellows will be given the opportunity to work with and learn
from these life science pioneers and other senior researchers who are
poised to pave the way toward novel strategies for understanding,
treating and preventing complex diseases.
In May, USC College opened the Molecular & Computational Biology
Building, which houses researchers focused on computational and
experimental genomics. Their work is vital to understanding the causes
of and finding cures for some of the most common and devastating
diseases with complex genetic components, such as heart disease, cancer
and Alzheimer’s disease.
Robin and Elliott Broidy have a long-standing commitment to strengthen
USC’s educational offerings. They are also dedicated to causes that
support Israel.
Elliott Broidy (B.S., Business Administration, ’79) has served on the
USC Associates Board of Directors and the Board of Councilors for the
USC Marshall School of Business’ Center for Investment Studies, and is
a trustee of the USC Hillel Foundation, a member of the Hebrew Union
College Board of Governors and its Board of Overseers.
Robin Broidy serves on the USC College Board of Councilors and on the
board for the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Elementary School. She is also
the Vice Chair of the Aviva Family and Children’s Services, a
residential treatment center for abused teenage girls.
“Graduate fellows recruited through the Robin and Elliott Broidy
Program will not only strengthen the life sciences at USC,” said USC
College Dean Joseph Aoun, “but also will open the College to the
world’s next generation of scientists. This is truly a world-class
educational experience.”
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