The 2006 University of Florida Beckman Scholars competition:

 First announcement Jan 26, 2006:  check back for updated content

We are pleased to announce that the University of Florida 2006 Beckman Scholars Program application window is open.  Beckman Fellows will receive more than $17,600 of financial support detailed below and significant other benefits from the University of Florida including an extra (third) summer of research support guaranteed, and extended mentoring to assist all participants to earn a potential joint BS/MS degree. The application deadline is March 1, 2006, and between three and five awardees will be announced on or before April 15, 2006.  Further information is below - read carefully to assure your eligibility.

 Download and print application form here

General criteria (use these as approximate guidelines rather than strict rules):

-         applicants are typically in their 2nd or 3rd semesters at UF with a strong chemistry or biology or medical research interest. 

-         UF GPA 3.8 or quantitative SAT 770 or 5 score on 2 different science/physics/math AP exams

-         Completed chm2047, and/or honors biology and high-level chemistry equivalents,  previous research or research tutorial course experience suggested

-         passionate about research and your education - NOT "checking off boxes on a resume". 

-         available to attend national Beckman Scholars Meeting end of July, 2006 and a    similar date in 2007 or 8, at the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering in Irvine, California

Last two year's results show that applicants should have had significant discussions with one or more of the UF Beckman faculty mentors to be competitive.

 Short description from the Beckman Foundation:

 

"The purpose of the Beckman Scholars Program is to help stimulate, encourage and support research activities by exceptionally talented  undergraduate students who are pursuing their studies at accredited four-year colleges and universities located in the United States of America. These research activities shall be centered in either chemistry, biochemistry, the biological and medical sciences or some combination of these subjects. Candidates for Beckman Scholars must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States at the time of application."

Specifics on the University of Florida Beckman Scholars Program:

 

The program is directed by R. Duran with co-director J. Mastrodicasa, and advisement by a steering committee. Participants in the UF Beckman Scholars Program will be recruited very early in their studies, generally in the freshman or early sophomore years.  Florida Beckman scholars will be paired with both a primary mentor at UF and secondary external mentor consisting of a recognized scholar whose expertise matches the area of their research.  Scholars will perform their research in the Chemistry or Zoology Departments of UF's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, or the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department of UF's College of Medicine.  Over the three years of the program ten UF Beckman mentors will each supervise one scholar - the ten mentors and corresponding external mentors (in parenthesis) are:

         Ben Dunn                        Biochem                 (A. Wlodawer, NCI-Frederick)

         Randy Duran                 Chemistry               (Curt Frank, Stanford)

         Art Edison                       Biochem         (Christine Li, City College NY)

         Lou Guillette                   Zoology                 (H. Bern, UC Berkeley)

         David  Julian                  Zoology                 (G. Somero, Stanford)

         Lisa McElwee-White      Chemistry               (R.G. Bergman, UC Berkeley)

         Mavis Agbandje-McKenna  Biochem         (T. Baker, Purdue)

         John Reynolds               Chemistry               (Art Epstein, Ohio State)

         Mike Scott                          Chemistry               (Ken Raymond, UC Berkeley)

         Marta Wayne                     Zoology                 (Trudy FC Mackay, N.C. State)

 

Extensive institutional support guaranteed from UF will allow for each scholar to participate in an additional research experience the summer after the formal Beckman tenure.  A defined sequence of coursework and research for credit, over their undergraduate time will result in a capstone experience of obtaining a simultaneous BS degree in their major and a simultaneously awarded MS degree coordinated through Florida's Honors Program.  Scholars will develop communications and social skills via a parallel program of interactions with peers, eminent visiting scientists at Florida, and mentoring, and eventually the possibility of travel to the external mentor's laboratory.  Overall, we expect the Beckman Scholars to emerge as the top and most visible science students on campus.

 

Application Procedure:

 Download and print application form here

Application to the program will be via a dossier submitted to Mrs. F. Green, Honors Program, 140 Tigert Hall by 4pm, Mar. 1, 2006.   The application dossier will include an application form, available at www.chem.ufl.edu/~duran/beckman . The dossier will also contain a CV (resume), transcripts (photocopies are acceptable), and  two letters of support from faculty members.   The dossier will also contain student statements on research interests (limit - 2 page, typed) and career plans (limit 1 page, typed), previous research experience (if any - limit 2 pages, typed), and research plans targeted at one or more of the available mentor research groups (limit 3 pages, typed). 

Note, per Beckman guidelines: Demonstrated financial need should not be a qualifying criteria in the selection of Beckman Scholars. However, financial need should be a consideration in award decisions between candidates who are judged to be equally meritorious. Beckman Scholars must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions.

 

 

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT

THE ARNOLD AND MABEL BECKMAN FOUNDATION

Announces

THE 2004 BECKMAN SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Recognizing Outstanding Undergraduate Students in Chemistry and Biological Sciences Research

SCHOLARSHIPS

The purpose of the Beckman Scholars Program is to help stimulate, encourage and support research activities by exceptionally talented undergraduate students who are pursuing their studies at accredited four-year colleges and universities located in the United States of America. These research activities shall be centered in either chemistry, biochemistry, the biological and medical sciences or some combination of these subjects. Candidates for Beckman Scholars must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States at the time of application.

The research activities performed by Beckman Scholars shall be conducted under the guidance of a full-time faculty member at the college or university receiving an award. The research work performed by the Scholar shall be deemed to be publishable by the student's faculty mentor. Such activities shall be performed part-time (ten hours per week) during one academic year and full-time over two summers (ten weeks each summer) immediately before and after the academic year research experience.

Once selected to be a Beckman Scholar, a student will retain the funding as long as he/she continues to excel academically, is in good academic standing, and his/her research work shows satisfactory progress. Beckman Scholar summer funds may extend through the summer following graduation. Beckman Scholar funds provided to any one student may not exceed two summers and one academic year.

BECKMAN SCHOLARS ANNUAL RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

During the summer, Beckman Scholars from throughout the country who have completed their academic year and summer terms of undergraduate research activities will gather for an Annual Research Symposium at the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering in Irvine, California. A faculty mentor representative of the graduating class of Beckman Scholars is expected to attend the symposium. The Beckman Scholars Annual Symposium will feature:

The annual symposium will be a three-evening, two-day event. Staff at the Beckman Foundation will coordinate all arrangements and reservations for the symposium. All symposium-related travel, lodging, and other expenses for Beckman Scholars and faculty mentors will be paid for by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation.

 

INSTITUTIONAL AWARDS

The amount of funding per student is $17,600, assuming he/she works two full-time summers and one part-time academic year.

The following is a breakdown of each Beckman Scholar award:

- $5,500 per summer for each student

- $3,600 per academic year for each student

 

Scientific meeting travel funds and research supplies to support research activities:

The Beckman Foundation does not provide for overhead or for indirect costs.

2004 Beckman Scholar Award institutions will begin to make their scholarship awards in the summer of 2004 until the summer of 2007. In any event, 2004 institutions will not be considered for new application invitations until the 2007 program.