ChoKyun Rha

“MIT is my home. I absolutely love the Institute and feel obliged to do whatever I can for it, not only because it’s done so much for me but also because I feel I am part of this great institution,” says ChoKyun Rha, an MIT faculty member for 32 years who recently established a gift annuity to support a professorship in industrial biotechnology.

Rha earned four degrees from MIT. Her husband, Anthony J. Sinskey, a professor of biology, also attended the Institute; so did their two sons and a granddaughter. When a second granddaughter graduates in 2009, the family will hold 10 MIT degrees.

“This is the greatest, finest institution in the world,” Rha says. “A professorship is essential, because it’s about the pursuit of excellence, which is the spirit of MIT and is what makes it such a novel institution.”

Raised in Seoul, Korea, Rha joined the faculty in 1974. She is now a professor of biomaterials science and engineering, directing a research team in the Biomaterials Science and Engineering Lab. A principal scientific con-tributor in the founding of Genzyme, Rha remains active with biotech startups. She directs the Malaysia-MIT Bio-technology Partnership Programme, which develops the biotech industry in Malaysia. She also serves on the inter-national advisory panel to the prime minister of Malaysia.

“Giving is a privilege,” she says. “MIT allowed me to develop and to define my life. It created for me a very special world where there is no limit to what one can do.”

Rha’s gift annuity, established with appreciated stock, will provide her with a tax deduction and a high, fixed, tax-free income for life. For giving information, contact Judy Sager: 617-253-6463; jsager@mit.edu. Or visit giving.mit.edu.