On Sept. 15, 2006, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) celebrated it’s 60th anniversary. More than 600 people gathered to salute six decades worth of achievements and to get a glimpse of the possibilities that tomorrow holds. The OMRF was founded in Oklahoma City in 1946, and today is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected nonprofit biomedical research institutes. More than 120 guests from across the country gathered at OMRF’s Gaylord Pavilion in the foundation’s research tower to share six decades of cherished memories.

The Fleming Scholar Program was founded in 1956 to give Oklahoma’s top science students an opportunity to gain lab experience in a research setting. The program was named after Sir Alexander Fleming, the legendary Nobel Prize-winning scientist who discovered penicillin and also came to Oklahoma City in 1949 to dedicate OMRF’s first building.

In addition to lab research, scholars learn from OMRF scientists about diverse research projects and science-related career options. They attend social events and spend time as a group outside the lab. At the end of the summer, scholars made formal presentations outlining their individual research results to OMRF’s scientific staff.