Thanks from Alum Eliot Quon, Postdoctoral Researcher at National Renewable Energy Laboratory
ARCS Foundation has been a highlight of my academic career thus far, thank you for the support!
On January 15th over 50 members attended our General Membership meeting at the newly renovated Capital City Club in Brookhaven. Our speaker was Dr. Jiong Yan who is both a practicing physician and a researcher at Emory University. Her specialty is Retina and Vitreous disease, and her presentation focused on macular degeneration.
Dr. Yan began by discussing what defines the disease, the difference between wet and dry macular degeneration and the current treatment options for both. She told the group that anything you do to improve your cardiovascular health will also improve your chances of avoiding MD. She advised everyone to eat a colorful diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and to exercise regularly. She also cautioned the group not to smoke. The presentation concluded with a discussion of Dr. Yan’s research using stem cells to repair the damage done to eyes by macular degeneration.
Another highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of the 2025 ARCS Light Award to Sally McDaniel. In presenting the award, 2024 ARCS Light Leslie Petter said that Sally has consistently exemplified exceptional service and leadership within both the Atlanta Chapter and ARCS National and that we are grateful for her willingness to serve, her impactful leadership, and her unwavering dedication to ARCS.
ARCS Foundation has been a highlight of my academic career thus far, thank you for the support!
"Thank you all for reaching out and the support over the years. It's been a rocky few years following the passing of my doctoral research mentor a few weeks prior to my dissertation defense. Trying to rebound from his loss, finishing my dissertation, and figuring out where to go from there was challenging to say the least ... Thank you again for your support. Honestly I did not know how much I would have ended up relying on the generous gift that the Atlanta Chapter of ARCS Foundation provided when it was first received. However, it was vital in helping me launch a new chapter in my career when I found my plans collapse when my mentor passed. Again, THANK YOU!"
Let me start by saying how thankful I am for being selected as an ARCS scholar. I consider it one of my greatest achievements thus far and I am immensely proud to count myself as one of the amazing group of students that your organization selected to receive this award. I want you ladies to know you are doing an outstanding job! You all are embarked on a truly altruistic endeavor and it is my fervent prayer that this organization thrives for years to come.