Kendall Clement, an undergraduate student at BYU pursuing a degree in Computer Science, was recognized by the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst - DAAD), an organization promoting higher education in Germany and providing funding to do so, as a scholarship recipient for the academic year 2008/09.

In addition to his coursework in the Computer Science Department, Kendall is an undergraduate researcher in the department's Computational Biology Laboratory. Kendall, along with eight other students at BYU, is applying his unusual combination of skills in computer science and biology to understanding disease and making progress toward therapeutic intervention. Although researchers have long hypothesized that a point mutation in an individual’s DNA causes certain diseases, recent findings suggest that these aliments might actually be generated by a duplication of certain genes. Kendall and his fellow researchers have trained their attention on Down syndrome, one disease caused by gene duplication.

DAAD programs are meant to create goodwill and professional relationships that will help build a solid basis for relations between Germany and North America. DAAD scholarships are highly competitive and recipients are selected by independent selection committees on the basis of outstanding academic records and convincing project proposals or statements of purpose. As the German national agency for the support of international academic cooperation, the DAAD offers programs and funding for students, faculty, researchers and others in higher education providing financial support to over 50,000 individuals per year. DAAD also represents the German higher education system abroad, promoting Germany as an academic and research destination and establishes ties among institutions around the world.

DAAD New York, which is one of 14 international branch offices, was founded in 1971 to support academic exchange between the U.S., Canada and Germany. DAAD New York maintains three major missions: to act as a bridge between U.S., Canadian and German universities, higher education professionals and students by providing information and assistance; to administer fellowships and other programs for students and scholars in the U.S. and Canada; and to contribute to Germany's public diplomacy by promoting Germany's academic, scientific, and cultural achievements in the U.S. and Canada.

In the picture at right, Kendall (center) and fellow student, Nathaniel Gustafson, work with researchers to study mice afflicted with Down Syndrome