Peter and David Sempsrott received their letters in the mail on the same day. Both brothers were selected as Adam W. Herbert Presidential Scholars. The scholarship provides both $9,000 each year for IUPUI tuition and other school expenses. They receive a laptop computer and additional funding for study abroad as well.

“IUPUI is very generous with scholarships and financial aid,” David, a senior biomedical engineer major said. “We were very encouraged to come here—we knew the school was going to invest in us.”

The brothers originally looked at Purdue but decided it was too long of a commute to their hometown of Arlington. They would rather live at home with their close-knit family. “We have a lot of support and commitment from our parents,” Peter, a senior chemistry major explained. “IUPUI was the best choice—we’re getting a Purdue degree and it’s close to home.”

Each one also was drawn to IUPUI by the vast opportunities within their chosen area of study. For Peter, the Purdue School of Science’s strong emphasis on undergraduate research has been very stimulating. In his sophomore year, he began research in organic chemistry, working on the school’s Distributed Drug Discovery program, which focuses on developing medicines for third world countries. Some of the molecules discovered in the program have been submitted to the National Institutes of Health’s small molecule repository.

“Having an undergraduate research program gets students involved and engaged early on,” Peter shares. “We have opportunities to apply what we’re learning outside of the classroom.”

Additionally, Peter has served as a teaching assistant for various undergraduate chemistry lab courses and recitation sessions. “There’s a saying, ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it.’ Being a TA refreshed me and helped me retain the information.”

David, who will be part of the second biomedical engineering graduating class, really values the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology’s connection to IU Medical Center and local life sciences companies like Eli Lilly and Company and Roche Diagnostics. “There are more opportunities for research and business cooperation with a school that’s located nearby these institutions,” he explained.

In fact, David had an internship with Roche this past summer where he worked on research involving blood glucose meters. On campus, he’s worked at the Math Assistance Center as a tutor and served as a weekly mentor for the Chemistry 105 course. David’s also been able to be involved in multi-disciplinary undergraduate research, where he’s partnered with others in biomedical engineering, computer engineering and physics to test the sensitivity of neuromuscular system to phantom pains in amputees.

David stays connected with other students through the Biomedical Engineering Club and the Honors Club as well as by serving as president of the Student Council for the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology.

Peter and David’s choice to come to IUPUI has benefited another person: their younger brother Kevin. Seeing how much his brothers have gained at IUPUI played a large part in Kevin’s decision to come to IUPUI as well. And he, too, was an Adam W. Herbert Presidential Scholar.

Kevin, who is in his first year, values the smaller class sizes at IUPUI. “I see many of the same people in classes,” says the biomedical engineering student. Study groups—or “survival groups” as the brothers call them—are a valuable resource.

He’s also found the professors very helpful and accessible, although he admits it is nice having his brothers serve as his “unofficial tutors.”