Date: Nov 20, 2013 Author: Joey Cresta Source: Seacoast Daily (
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PORTSMOUTH — A Seacoast-area business is hosting an event at the 100 Club tonight to announce the launch of a new program to support regional high school students.
Antaya Science & Technology, a Hampton company that researches and develops particle accelerators and superconducting magnet-based systems for medicinal, security and science uses, is launching the Antaya Foundation to provide mentors and resources to students interested in studying science, technology, engineering and math.
Ruthie Tredwell, who will serve as director of the foundation, said the program will start with Winnacunnet High School, but will expand to include other Seacoast communities.
"We want to give back because all of us have mentors," she said. "We didn't get here by ourselves. We know that."
Antaya is a small company with nine employees, but it is doing big things in the science world. Tredwell said the National Cancer Institute is awarding a $2.1 million grant contract to the company to commercialize one of its patents for a next-generation proton therapy machine for treating cancerous tumors.
The state-of-the-art machine will be much smaller and more affordable than anything currently on the market, which will make the treatment more readily available to patients, she said.
Students who become connected with the company will have the opportunity to contribute to ongoing research projects and gain real-world experience.
Former Massachusetts Institute of Technology principal research engineer Dr. Timothy Antaya founded the company and is one of the mentors who students will have the chance to work with.
