Huntsville businesswoman Jean Wessel Templeton continues to support HudsonAlpha's educational outreach efforts. She recently gave the institute another generous donation to help inspire the next generation of scientists.
This significant gift will allow HudsonAlpha's educational outreach team to develop and pilot a student summer experience. This program will highlight the intersection of genomics and synthetic biology with human health, agriculture and the environment.
"We are so grateful for Jean's support of educational initiatives here at HudsonAlpha," said Neil Lamb, Ph.D., director of educational outreach. "She is a strong advocate of connecting students to cutting-edge technologies and scientific discovery."
And with good reason.
"To maintain our country's leadership role in science, we need to continue to focus on education," said Templeton. "Here in Huntsville, we have done remarkable work in space and defense. Now we are doing amazing things in the field of biotechnology. The education group of HudsonAlpha is training future generations of researchers and entrepreneurs who, I believe, will continue the work of those currently blazing this important path toward improved human health and quality of life."
In 2010, Templeton gave another major gift to support educational outreach at HudsonAlpha. The funding was used to develop The Progress of Science, a digital timeline that provides an interactive and exciting way of interacting with biotech history.
Templeton is CEO of Wesfam Restaurants, Inc., which owns and operates Burger King restaurants across North Alabama.