April 15, 2005

Dental Technology students win scholarships

by Katharine Quaranta

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Donald Metz and Lorraine Brown, two students in Southern Illinois University's Dental Technology program, received scholarships at Honor's Day on April 10.

The American Dental Association, ADA Foundation, along with its corporate sponsor, Handler Manufacturing Company Inc., sponsored Metz's $1,000 scholarship. This award is given every year to a student in the final year of study in a dental laboratory technology program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.

Metz, a graduate of Arkansas Technical University with a bachelor's degree in biology, has maintained a 4.00 GPA since beginning the program at SIUC. He has also assisted on the Talladium Gypsum Expansion research study with professors John Winings and Leigh Tiebout, the findings of which will eventually help to improve the longevity and success of dental restorations such as porcelain to metal crowns.

Brown, also in her final year of the program, won a $500 scholarship established by the Southern Illinois Dental Society. In order to be eligible for the scholarship, a student must be from the area in Southern Illinois represented by the society and demonstrate continued excellence in the Dental Technology program.

A graduate of SIUC in exercise science, Brown has gained practical experience in her field by producing prosthetic restorations for the SIUC Community Dental Center, where she volunteers along with Metz. The Center treats dental patients on Medicaid.

Strengthening and maintaining substantial undergraduate and graduate scholarship programs is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, a long-range blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.