Departmental Graduate Student Awards

The following are the guidelines for preparation and submission of research proposals by graduate students who are applying for a MU Fellowship.

Eligibility:

Students registered in the doctoral program who have completed 15 cr. hrs. of approved coursework and who are doing their research with a faculty member based in the Department of Biological Sciences, are eligible to apply for the MU Fellowship. The student must have passed the qualifying exam before the beginning of the semester for which the fellowship is awarded. Third year students must have their mentor-approved dissertation outline submitted to their dissertation advisory committee by the fall mid-term break of their 5th semester.

Evaluation:

Fellowships will be awarded primarily based on the quality of the research proposal. M.U. Fellowship applications will be evaluated along the same lines as would a proposal to an extramural funding agency. In composing the proposal, the applicant should keep in mind that reviewers are scientifically literate, but most will not be in the applicant's area of expertise. It is incumbent upon the applicant to explain the significance and rationales of concepts and procedures that may be unfamiliar to a reviewer. The keys to a successful proposal are to convince the reviewers that the goals are important, the applicant is capable, and the experimental plan is feasible, well thought-out, and the best way to achieve the goals. Criteria for the amount and quality of the preliminary data will be higher for students who have had previous fellowship support, and for more senior students.

Responsibility for Journal Clubs:

Students supported by M.U. fellowships will be responsible for organizing journal clubs for their fellow graduate students. Each M.U. fellow will be expected to organize (or co-organize with one other M.U. fellow) a journal club for one semester during the fellowship period. Organizers will be responsible for choosing the overall topic of the journal club, scheduling a meeting time, signing up presenters, and disseminating information to participants. MU Fellows should consult with the Graduate Affairs Committee for details regarding the format of the journal club.

Deadline:

The deadline for proposals for the M.U. Fellowships is generally set in mid-February. M.U. proposals will be solicited in January when an explicit deadline date will be established. Due. Proposals must be submitted by email to the assistant to the Graduate Affairs Committee before 4:00 PM on the deadline date. 

Types of Proposals:

There are two types of proposals:

1. Original proposals submitted by students who have not previously had fellowship support.

2. Renewals, submitted by students who have previously been supported by any type of full-time research fellowship (MU, faculty grant, etc.) in the previous year.

In addition to the 5-page proposal, students submitting renewals must submit a separate one-page Progress Report following the main proposal describing the progress made only during the previous year of support. Overlap between the progress report and the preliminary data section of the proposal would be permitted and expected. This appendix must state the specific aims or goals from the previous year of support, progress made toward those aims/goals, and rationale for any changes in research direction. If their 18 funding required that they perform tasks unrelated to progress on their dissertation project, they can note the extent of time spent in that way.

Proposal Guidelines: The Graduate Affairs Committee has set the following guidelines:

1. The proposal must be composed by the applicant. The applicant may not take sentences or paragraphs from other proposals or manuscripts unless they are the first author of those sources.

2. No faculty member or postdoctoral associate may read the proposal prior to submission.

3. Fellow graduate students may read and comment upon the proposal insofar as time, and enthusiasm, permits. This is for the purpose of pointing out areas that may be unclear to someone who is not personally involved in the project. Revisions should be made solely by the applicant.

4. The entire proposal (including figures and tables but excluding bibliography) must be no more than 5 pages (an additional one page progress report is required for renewals; see above). Applicants should include an additional title page with only the title of the application and the name of the applicant. Proposals must be single spaced, 11-point Arial font, with 1” margins on all sides. Figure legends must be 9-point font to distinguish them from the main text. Figures cannot be in the margins. Applications that do not follow these guidelines will not be considered for funding. Proposal Format. The purpose of the proposal format is to provide training in the preparation of proposals to an extramural funding agency.

The proposal must consist of the following sections in this order:

1. The specific aims of the project. This will be very brief, on the order of a paragraph or a few sentences.

2. Background and significance. Include in this section a brief critical survey of the pertinent literature, including data pertaining to the project gathered by other members of the laboratory. Describe the contribution that the proposed project will make to the state of knowledge in the field.

3. Preliminary results. Include in this section the data obtained by the applicant pertaining to the proposed project. (In the case of prior recipients, this section may overlap with the required additional one-page report of progress during year of support.)

4. Proposed research. The experimental design should be described in sufficient detail to convey to the reviewers your understanding of the principles involved. Describe succinctly enough details (probe, parameters to be measured, controls, etc.) to demonstrate that you understand how to design a meaningful experiment, but the emphasis is on the design and its rationale, not methodological details. The proposed research will focus on research plans for the coming year, and not on the overall plans for the entire PhD program. Sections 1-4 constitute the 5-page proposal. This will be followed by the one page Progress Report for Renewals.

5. Include a bibliography of full citations (titles included) for literature referred to in the proposal.

6. C.V. Submit a current curriculum vitae.

Review Committee and Procedures:

An ad hoc committee, consisting of three faculty members who are not the major professor of the applicants, will be established each year to review the MU Fellowship applications. This committee may or may not include members of the Graduate Affairs Committee.

The original proposals and renewals will be reviewed as a single group.

Previous successful proposals will be kept on file and are subject to review by the evaluation committee as part of the fellowship competition.

Students who submit applications for fellowship support will be provided with a critique of their application to aid them in the preparation of future applications. The critique will be provided by the fellowship review committee. It may be either oral or written, at the discretion of the committee. 

For the most up to date deadlines and information on Graduate School awards, please review the Graduate School website.

Typically, the department will fund the difference between various on-campus fellowships and Biological Science Teaching Assistantships.

RICHARD W. JOBLING DISTINGUISED RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP

Eligibility:

Students enrolled or admitted to PhD. Programs for NSF-defined STEM disciplines.

Deadline:

Approximately first week in December.

Duration:

Two years, non-renewable.

Application:

1. A written statement by the student that addresses the student’s academic work and research, its impact on the field and/or greater society, and the applicant’s plan for the future.

2. A curriculum vitae clearly noting whether publications are published, in press, or under review. Do not list publications in preparation.

3. Three letters of recommendation (1 from the nominator and 2 from other faculty). Departmental Review Procedures. Ad hoc faculty members may be added to the Graduate Affairs Committee specifically for the evaluation process, up to two students may be forwarded to the University committee.

University Review Procedures:

Committee with two representatives from the Graduate School and three representatives from the pool of DGs serving the STEM-discipline programs will review the applications.

 

ARTHUR J. SCHMITT LEADERSHIP FELLOWS PROGRAM

Eligibility:

Students registered in the Ph.D. program and who have passed the Ph.D. qualifying examination, are eligible to apply for the Schmitt fellowship.

Deadline:

Approximately mid-November.

Application:

1. A written statement by the student that addresses the student’s academic work and research, its impact on the field and/or greater society, and the applicant’s plan for the future

2. A curriculum vitae clearly noting whether publications are published, in press, or under review. Do not list publications in preparation

3. Three letters of recommendation (1 from the nominator and 2 from other faculty).

4. Biographical statement (1 page)

5. Statement of leadership (1 page)

6. Statement of values.

Departmental Review Procedures:

Ad hoc faculty members may be added to the Graduate Affairs Committee specifically for the evaluation process, up to two students may be forwarded to the University committee.

Graduate School Review Procedures:

A committee of three faculty from three different colleges review the applications.

 

THE REV. JOHN P. RAYNOR, S.J. FELLOWSHIP

Eligibility:

Students registered in the Ph.D. program and who have passed the Ph.D. qualifying examination and submitted an approved dissertation outline to the graduate school before the 20 fellowship begins are eligible to apply for the Raynor fellowship. Doctoral students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.75 in graduate studies with no doctoral grade less than a B.

Deadline:

Approximately mid-November.

Application:

1. A written statement by the student that addresses the student’s academic work and research, its impact on the field and/or greater society, and the applicant’s plan for the future.

2. A curriculum vitae clearly noting whether publications are published, in press, or under review. Do not list publications in preparation.

3. Three letters of recommendation (1 from the nominator and 2 from other faculty).

Departmental Review Procedures:

Ad hoc faculty members may be added to the Graduate Affairs Committee specifically for the evaluation process, only one student from the department can be forwarded to the University committee. 

Graduate School Review Procedures:

A committee of three faculty, the dean of the Graduate School, and a distinguished panelist from the broader MU community will review the applications.

Research assistantships are sometimes available in the Department. The assistantships are funded through the research grants of individual investigators in the Department and are arranged by mutual agreement between student and investigator. Assistantships may be continued through the summer months. Students on faculty grant supported-research assistantships must apply to the Graduate Affairs Committee for tuition scholarships.

Several departmental scholarships are available annually and periodically for use as summer stipend for graduate students. All available awards use the same application.

Application:

Complete the summer research scholarships application form electronically, available from the assistant to the Graduate Affairs Committee.

Due:

Approximately mid-November

Award Committee:

An ad hoc committee consisting of three faculty members with broad areas of expertise in biology, who are not the major professor of the applicants, will be established to review the applications. The committee may or may not include members of the Graduate Affairs committee. Applications will be evaluated based on providing sufficient background for the committee to understand the significance of the research to the field and the student’s dissertation project while also providing sufficient detail for the committee to understand the research plan specifically to be carried out over the summer months.

DR. CATHERINE GROTELUESCHEN SCHOLARSHIP FUND FOR BIOLOGY

Description:

The Department of Biological Sciences receives funds from the Dr. Catherine Grotelueschen Scholarship Fund for Biology to provide financial assistance towards the summer stipend of the recipient. It is envisaged that this award would be a supplement to any additional summer support the student may receive from faculty extramural or departmental sources, the sum of which will not exceed the current maximum summer stipend agreed upon for all graduate students in the department.

Award:

This scholarship typically makes up to two annual awards of approximately $2,500 to graduate students based in the Biological Sciences department.

Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply for this award, graduate students must be in the Department of Biological Sciences, have advanced to Ph.D. candidacy and have submitted an approved dissertation 21 outline to the Graduate School by the time of application. Students may apply for and receive these awards on more than one occasion.

 

DENIS J. O’BRIEN FELLOWSHIP FOR BIOLOGY

Description:

The Department of Biological Sciences periodically receives funding from the Denis J. O’Brien Fellowship Fund for financial assistance in the form of a summer stipend.

Award:

Approximately $2500 and is offered every other year to students in biological sciences

GRADUATE SCHOOL TRAVEL GRANTS

The Graduate school will award up to $500 on a competitive basis to graduate students with their program planning form on file to present their research at professional meetings. See the Graduate School website for guidelines and current due dates.

DEPARTMENTAL TRAVEL GRANTS

Graduate students performing research with a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences may apply to the department for funds to present their work at a scientific meeting. Students are encouraged to seek other sources of funding as well (professional societies, the Graduate School). Applications should be directed to the Department Chair and should include (1) Name, date, and location of meeting; (2) Accepted abstract of the work to be presented; (3) Travel budget.

Availability of funds for graduate student travel will depend on other priorities and the amount of available funds. Graduate students are urged to apply early. Application for graduate student travel funds must be signed by the student’s major professor.

The following two graduate student awards are for students doing research with faculty based in the Department of Biological Sciences.

SCHOLL AWARD

Description:

The Department of Biological Sciences receives funds from the Dr. Scholl Foundation in the amount of $1,000 to make an annual award to a graduate student who has performed outstanding research as demonstrated by the publication or in press status of a first author manuscript in a peerreviewed journal. This award is an honorary award and may be received only once.

Award:

$1,000 stipend award, individual plaque presented to student, and plaque with all recipients listed displayed in department. Nominations. Eligible students or their faculty mentors should submit nominations to the assistant to the Graduate Affairs Committee at least 1 week prior to the Application due date.

Application:

1. First Author Paper published or in-press in a peer reviewed journal

2. Letter of support from faculty mentor highlighting significance of the work to the field, and detail the relative contribution of the nominated student (i) design and execution of the research and (ii) the writing and compilation of the manuscript

3. Student Statement: 1 page explaining significance of work/contribution to research and preparation of the manuscript Due. Approximately mid-April

Award Committee:

An ad hoc committee consisting of three faculty members, including members of the Graduate Affairs Committee who are not the major professor for any of the applicants, will review the applications. The award will be determined based on the significance of the work, and the student’s contribution to the research and manuscript.

 

OLIVER H. SMITH ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Description:

This annual award is sponsored by the Oliver H. Smith Memorial Fund, to recognize exceptional academic achievement by a graduate student in the Ph.D. program of the Department of Biological Sciences. This award is an honorary award and may only be received once.

Award:

$1,000 stipend award, individual plaque presented to student, and plaque with all recipients listed displayed in department. Nominations. Eligible students or their faculty mentors should submit nominations to the assistant to the Graduate Affairs Committee at least 1 week prior to the Application due date.

Application:

1. Student statement: 1 page detailing scholarly activities during dissertation studies (research contributions, publications, conference/poster presentations, mentoring activities, community outreach and/or service activities.)

2. Cumulative GPA

3. Letter of support from faculty mentor

Due:

Approximately mid-April.

Award Committee:

An ad hoc committee consisting of three faculty members, including members of the Graduate Affairs Committee who are not the major professor for any of the applicants, will review the applications. The award will be determined based on cumulative GPA, research activity, and student’s scholarly achievements as described in application.