Beckman Scholars Program
Funded by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, the Beckman Scholars Program (BSP) is a 15-month mentored research experience for exceptional undergraduate students in chemistry, biological sciences, or interdisciplinary combinations thereof. The UW Oshkosh Beckman Scholars Program will accept six Beckman Scholars over the next three years, taking in two new scholars annually (2024, 2025, 2026). Beginning this summer 2024, selected Beckman Scholars will conduct research alongside a named Beckman Mentor and receive a stipend of $18,200 and a supply/travel stipend of $2,800 over the course of the Program.
Application Deadline: March 11, 2024
Eligibility
Beckman applicants must meet the following requirements:
- A Citizen or Permanent Resident of the United States or its possessions or hold
DACA recipient status. - A full-time undergraduate student in chemistry, biochemistry, the biological and medical sciences, or some interdisciplinary combination of these subjects.
- Be in good academic standing, ideally with a 3.0 or higher GPA. Note: If your
GPA is below a 3.0, please provide an explanation with your application. - Able to commit to the full 15-month experience, including two full-time summers of research at UWO and 10 hrs/week during the academic year.
- Plans to pursue a career in science and am interested in obtaining a PhD, MD,
MD/PhD; or other scientific pursuits. - Has been recommended by a UWO Beckman Mentor.
Application Instructions
Prior to submitting Beckman Application:
- Schedule at least one appointment with Cordelia Bowlus, the Beckman Scholars Program Manager.
- Meet with a prospective Beckman Mentor who is willing to support your application. Discuss the project you wish to participate in.
- Identify at least one faculty member willing and able to write a recommendation on your behalf.
- Complete the Beckman application and write a personal statement (500- 750 words), articulating your motivation for working with said mentor, personality characteristics you possess that make you suited to become a Beckman Scholar, course work and experiences that have prepared you to conduct research, and how being a Beckman Scholar will advance your short and long-term goals.
Application Checklist:
Submit the following documents to Cordelia Bowlus:
- Completed and signed Application: 2024 APPLICATION BECKMAN SCHOLARS PROGRAM
- Personal statement
- Support of Applicant Form from proposed Beckman Mentor: BSP Mentor Support of Applicant Form
- One Recommendation Form from a faculty member other than your proposed BSP Mentor: Faculty Recommendation for Beckman Scholar Applicant FORM
Email or drop off completed applications:
Cordelia Bowlus
Beckman Scholars Program Manager
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
121 Halsey
bowlusc@uwosh.edu
(920) 424-7306
Meet the UWO Beckman Faculty Mentors
Dr. Kevin Crawford
Professor of Chemistry
Area of Study: Environmental Analytical Chemistry
Research Interests:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Persistent Organic Pollutants
- Water
- Sediment
- Emerging Contaminants.
Dr. Jonathan Gutow
Professor of Chemistry
Area of Study: Mono- and multi-layer coatings, anti-rhinovirals, computational chemistry, development of computer tools for lab science and education.
Research Interests:
- Viral inhibitors
- Quantum chemical computations
- Computer assisted symbolic mathematics
- Visualization of multidimensional objects
- Self-assembled monolayers.
Dr. Brant Kedrowski
Professor of Chemistry
Dr. Gregory T. Kleinheinz
Professor of Environmental Engineering Technology
Area of Study: Environmental Microbiology, Engineering, and Sustainable Technology
Research Interests:
- Industrial Treatment Technologies
- Water and Wastewater Issues
- Biological Treatment of Air Emissions
- Construction Issues and Indoor Air Quality
- Environmental Public Health
- Microbial Indicators of Water Quality
- Microbial Pathogens in Recreational/Drinking Waters
Dr. Shelly Michalski
Professor of Biology
Area of Study: Parasitology
Research Interests:
atic filariasis, a tropical disease caused by mosquito-borne nematodes. They study the interaction of the microfilaria stage of filarial nematodes with their arthropod vector, filarial transcriptomics, and also naturally occurring filarial parasites of Wisconsin wildlife.- Molecular determinants of microfilarial infectivity
- Filarial transcriptomics
- Filarial parasites of wildlife
Dr. Robert F. Mitchell
Associate Professor of Biology
Area of Study: Chemosensory Biology
Research Interests:
Dr. Mitchell studies the chemical compounds that insects use in defense, navigation, and communication, and how these compounds affect the ecology and evolution of insect species, especially the wood-boring longhorned beetles (family Cerambycidae). Major areas of research include discovery and field testing of novel compounds, sequencing molecular chemoreceptors, and mapping neural pathways involved in chemoreception.
Full BioDr. Sabrina Mueller-Spitz
Professor of Biology
Area of Research: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Research Interests:
Bacterial Degradation of Organic Pollutants- Food Safety
- Emerging Pollutants
- Water Quality
Dr. Robert Stelzer
Professor of Biology
Area of Research: Freshwater Science
Research Interests:
Dr. Stelzer’s research interests center on the biogeochemistry and food web dynamics of streams and lakes. His research projects, which typically involve multiple collaborators and students, have included short and long-term studies of how nitrogen is processed in streams, studies of reciprocal controls between nutrients and species in the context of ecological stoichiometry, and large-scale experiments to address the factors that regulate stream food webs. Dr. Stelzer’s current research interests are focused on characterizing microplastics in freshwater food webs and predicting Harmful Algal Blooms in lakes.
Please contact Dr. Stelzer directly at stelzer@uwosh.edu if you are interested in working in Dr. Stelzer’s lab!
Full Bio