LIVERMORE, Calif., March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation today announced its 2012 Hertz Fellows. From over 600 applicants, 15 were selected to receive the Hertz Fellowship, considered to be the nation's most generous support for graduate education in the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences. The Hertz Fellowship is valued at more than $250,000 per student, with support lasting up to five years. Fellows have the freedom to innovate in their doctoral studies without university or research restrictions.

"We are pleased to announce this year's selection," stated Dr. Jay Davis, Hertz Foundation President, "and we make this announcement with equal amounts of excitement and resolve. We are committed to increasing the number of Fellows we can support each year. This, our 50th cadre of Fellows, was picked from such an outstanding field of applicants that we could easily have chosen thirty, had resources been available to us. We are approaching philanthropists in education in a recapitalization initiative that will eventually allow us to support a larger fraction of our country's top one percent in these disciplines."

For nearly a half century, the Hertz Foundation has fostered the scientific and engineering strength of the nation by finding the best and brightest from those disciplines. During the past decade, there has been a major shift of the candidates towards those who apply physical and computational tools to the problems of biomedicine and health. Significantly, another shift of the Hertz Foundation has been to support the Hertz Fellows to build the Hertz Fellows Community for all ages to gather together, inspire one another and collaborate for innovation that further augments the powerful contribution they bring to society.

"We invest in young people who will solve our most daunting problems," stated Dr. Davis. "These men and women show extraordinary promise. They join the community of leaders who produce advances in science, medicine, technology, business, academia and government. Scientists and engineers are only 4% of the U.S. workforce but they account for up to 85% of the GDP. The top 1% is responsible for 90% of important discoveries. We believe their creativity and risk-taking bring forth innovation for the technical and economic security of our nation."

Hertz Fellows pursue their own ideas with complete financial independence and under the guidance of some of the country's finest professors and mentors. Fellows are chosen for their intellect, their ingenuity and their potential to bring meaningful improvement to society. The highly competitive selection process includes a comprehensive written application, four references, and two rounds of technical interviews by recognized leaders in applied science and engineering.

"The Hertz Foundation nurtures these remarkable scientists and engineers as they develop and explore their genius," continued Dr. Davis. "We help genius find itself."

Visit: http://www.hertzfoundation.org

The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation 2012 Hertz Fellows

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The Hertz Foundation Nears Half-Century Milestone; Selects 50th Cadre of Hertz Fellows; Quarter Million Dollar Support ...