THE ADAM J. BERRY MEMORIAL FUND

This fund has been established in memory of a young Australian scientist and is intended to assist one young Australian scientist to travel or work in the USA at one of the institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) each year. The fund is co-managed by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and by the Australian Academy of Science.

Adam Jonathon Berry, B.Sc., B.Tech

At the time of his death in a car accident on May 27, 2002, Adam was working as a scientist in the National Cancer Institute. He was 25 years old.

In the fourteen months that Adam worked at the Institute he was able to make a major contribution to the research program by establishing methods for genotyping genetically modified mouse strains to study cancer pathogenesis, collating this data and maintaining a database essential to the work of his colleagues.

Adam was born and grew up in Australia. He attended Sydney Boys High School and graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Technology, Sydney, and with a Bachelor of Technology from Macquarie University.

At the NIH, Adam found fulfilling and challenging work in a collegiate and friendly atmosphere. His family has established this memorial fund in order to assist other young Australian scientists to access a similar experience.

The Memorial Fund

The fund will pay the travel expenses for one young Australian scientist, each year, to work at one of the Institutes of the NIH for a short period. It is expected that the fund will operate until 2010 when all its resources are likely to have been expended.

In addition to gaining valuable experience for themselves, they will be expected to make a contribution to the research program of the institute to which they are temporarily attached.

It is expected that the candidates who will receive funding will be less than 30 years old, and fit into one of these categories:

• Be in the final semester of a Masters program or a Bachelors program with honours.
• Have completed a Masters program or a Bachelors program with Honours.
• Be in the first two years of a PhD program at an Australian University.

They must be either Australian Citizens or Permanent Residents of Australia.

Application Process

This is an outline of the process. For details, please see the pages relating to Visits to the National Institutes of Health in the USA for Junior Scientists (www.science.org.au/internat/) at the website of the Australian Academy of Science.

1. Expressions of Interest will be accepted from 1st August to September 30th of each year. Successful applicants will receive funds from December 1st of that year in order for the student to take full advantage of the Australian summer break.
   
   
2. Expressions of Interest are lodged by completing the form on the Australian Academy of Science website.
   
   
3. The Academy will forward the Expressions of Interest to a panel who will select a short list of candidates. This short list will be forwarded to the NIH for their selection on the basis of best fit to their current research programs.
   
   
4. The NIH will then send a letter of invitation, the successful candidate will apply to the Academy of Science for the release of the funds. Only candidates who have received their letter of invitation from the NIH will receive funding.
   

Donations to the Fund

Donations are tax-deductible for US and Australian taxpayers when made to the appropriate national organisation. Please make cheques payable to the Australian Academy of Science with a covering letter stating that this is a donation to the Adam J. Berry Memorial Fund.