GEORGETOWN, TX (06/30/2011)(readMedia)-- Jace Venters of Baytown is one of 11 students conducting research at Southwestern University this summer as part of the Welch Summer Research Program, which is funded by the Robert A. Welch Foundation of Houston. The Welch Foundation has funded this program in Southwestern's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry since 1985.
Students selected for the program receive a stipend as well as living expenses that enable them to spend eight weeks conducting research with Southwestern faculty members.
Venters is working with Maha Foote, associate professor of chemistry, to study the effects of anti-cancer drugs on DNA.
In addition to the research component, students who participate in the Welch summer program also do science outreach activities for children in the Georgetown community. This year's program participants helped with Science Day activities at a local elementary school.
Venters is a biochemistry major at Southwestern. He hopes to attend medical school.
Venters is the son of Tom and Laura Venters of Baytown. He is a 2009 graduate of Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas.
Southwestern University is a selective, nationally recognized undergraduate liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,300 students. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in Texas. For more information on Southwestern, visit www.southwestern.edu.