America’s founding national yogurt company, Dannon, is now offering a scholarship to support the education of probiotic studies. The winner will receive one year’s graduate school tuition (up to $25,000) and an all-expenses-paid visit to Danone Research Center in Palaiseau, France.

“The study of probiotics is one of the most exciting and rapidly emerging areas of scientific exploration,” Dr. Miguel Freitas, director of health affairs at the Dannon Company, said.

The Dannon Company is headquartered in White Plains, New York. Dannon produces 100 different types of flavors, styles and sizes of fresh dairy products. Its brand is best known for their yogurt. Dannon’s yogurt has been a top-seller worldwide. The Dannon Company strongly encourages well-balanced diets. Dannon finds great importance in research, education and communication that helps promote healthy lifestyles. In support of probiotic benefits, Dannon has created a scholarship for students known as: The Dannon Probiotics Fellow Program.

The Dannon Probiotics Fellow Program is available for graduating seniors interested in applying for graduate programs in probiotics or graduate students already enrolled in this field. An application package is required to be completed by all interested applicants. The package includes: a personal essay, recommendation from two professors and proof of good academic standing. All application packages must be submitted prior to March 31, 2012. The winner will be announced by a panel of expert judges in mid-April.

“The benefits of probiotics may not stop with what we know today; in fact, additional potential attributes of probiotics are still being discovered,” said Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders, dairy and food culture technologies consultant and executive director of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP).

The trip to France is a chance for the winning applicant to work alongside leading experts. These experts excel in probiotics, nutrition and human physiology. This opportunity also allows for educational support from top international researchers.

“It’s important for companies like Dannon to continue supporting the education of future experts within the field, and I am honored to sit on the judging panel for this exciting Probiotics Fellowship Program,” Sanders said.

“The study of probiotics is one of the most exciting and rapidly emerging areas of scientific exploration,” Freitas added. “As a company leading the way in probiotic research and education, Dannon hopes to instill the same enthusiasm we have for probiotics in the next generation of scientists.”

Further application information can be found at http://www.dannon.com/fellowship.