The purpose of the Beckman Scholars Program is to help stimulate, encourage and support research activities by exceptionally talented, full-timed 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 full-time students throughout the duration of the award.

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.

Students will be named as Beckman Scholars in the spring of their sophomore or junior years at their university or college. 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.

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:

GUIDELINES

Beckman Scholar awards are institutional, university or college awards. Each year, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation will select a number of research, doctoral, masters and baccalaureate universities and colleges to be invited to submit applications for the Beckman Scholars Program. Each institution may submit one application for consideration for an award. The application must include endorsements from the chief academic officer and the dean(s) of the College(s), School(s) or Division(s) including the participating academic unit

The applying institution will designate one contact person for communications concerning its application. Institutional award recipients will be responsible for administering the program as well as submitting financial reports, reports of academic standing and research progress of the Beckman Scholars' research activities.

APPLICATION OVERVIEW

The application may be prepared either individually or jointly by the respective chairs of the academic units of chemistry, biochemistry, the biological and medical sciences or their designated representative(s). The application material must include (in the following order):

PROPOSAL PREPARATION

All application material must be prepared in 12 point font size (with 1-inch margins). The original proposal plus fourteen (14) copies of the entire application material must be submitted. The proposal must be on three-hole punched paper with NO double-sided pages and NO staples or clips. Each proposal copy should be separated by one sheet of colored paper. The proposal must be in the following order:

1. Application Cover Page

2. Institutional Data Sheet Provide information as requested about the faculty, majors and graduates from each academic unit.

3. Faculty/Mentor Summary Data Sheet Provide the following information for each mentor:

a. Home department of faculty/mentor: (1) = biological sciences; (2) = chemistry, biochemistry; (3) = other (specify)

b. Total number of years in tenure-track appointment.

c. Number of undergraduates currently mentored in research project work performed in member's lab(s).

d. Since 2006, number of undergraduates mentored who performed research work in faculty member's lab(s).

e. Since 2006, estimated average period of time spent by individual undergraduates performing research project work in faculty mentor's lab(s):

(a) = 0 - 9 months; (b) = 10 - 18 months; (c) = 19 or more months

f. Since 2006, total number of peer-reviewed journal articles with undergraduate co-authors in research journals, already published or in press. Do not include abstracts.

g. Since 2006, total number of undergraduate co-authors in research publications, already published or in press. Count each student co-author only once, even if they co-author multiple publications. Do not include abstracts.

h. Since 2006, number of External Presentations by mentored undergraduate research students. External presentation include regional, national and international meetings.

i. Since 2006, number of Internal Presentations by mentored undergraduate research students. Internal presentations take place at the host institution or at a local conference. Do not include group meetings.

j. Current total annualized external support for faculty/mentor's project(s) (in thousands of dollars).

k. Since 2006, average total annualized external support for faculty/mentor's research project(s) (in thousands of dollars).

l. Current annualized internal support provided by home institution for faculty mentor's research projects (including faculty mentor's summer research salary, undergraduate student stipends, research supplies, special research instrumentation, "competitive" internal grants and excluding faculty mentor's academic year salary and utilities costs) (in thousands of dollars).

*Data provided in this summary table as well as all other information and data presented in this application will be held in the strictest confidence by members of the Beckman Scholars Program Advisory Panel and representatives and personnel of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation.

Important Note: The Beckman Scholars Program encourages the participation of junior faculty teachers/scholars as well as more senior teachers/scholar colleagues as faculty mentors. The program's interpretation of the above data as well as the evaluations of curriculum vitae for such faculty members, will take their junior status into consideration.

4. Proposal (not to exceed six typewritten pages).

*NEW* Institutions that have been prior recipients of the Beckman Scholars award must include the Institution's plan for sustaining an excellent undergraduate research program that continues beyond the Beckman Scholars Program support in this section. Failure to provide this information will result in denial of the application.

5. Institutional Progress Report (for previous Beckman Scholars Program recipients).

a. Summary of program implementation

b. Success of the program

c. How the program benefited the students, mentors, undergraduate program

d. Method of tracking of students upon graduation

(This section is to be approximately 2 pages in length)

6. Completed Beckman Scholars Reported Table (for former Beckman Scholars Program awardees) Provide the requested information for each previous or current Beckman Scholar.

7. Appendix (three-page curriculum vitae for no more than fifteen faculty mentors) The appendix should include a brief curriculum vitae for up to fifteen faculty members whom the university/college identifies to serve as mentors for its Beckman Scholars. Each faculty vita can be NO LONGER than three pages and must include a detailed publication sheet since 2006. Undergraduate co-authors should be underlined in the publication list. At the end of each CV, summarize the following:

a. Current annualized level of external research project funding and average level of such support over the past five years. This information should match that in the Faculty Mentor Summary data sheet.

b. Number and names of undergraduates participating as active laboratory research in the faculty member's current research activities.

c. Total number of undergraduate research students the faculty mentor has mentored to date.

8. Appendix IRS Determination Letter (to be submitted with ORIGINAL application ONLY).

PROPOSAL REVIEW CRITERIA

1. Institution's historical and current commitment to quality undergraduate research programs in chemistry, biochemistry, the biological and medical sciences or some combination of these subjects.

2. Institution's recent record of admission to quality graduate and medical schools for its chemistry, biochemistry, biological and medical science undergraduate students, along with information about graduate pre-doctoral fellowship awards.

3. Baccalaureate institution as a source of chemistry, biochemistry, biological science and medical science Ph.D.'s and M.D. 's.

4. Educational credentials and scholarly accomplishments of proposed faculty mentor group as evidenced by post-2006 publications in refereed research journals, receipt and magnitude of post-2004 nationally competitive funding to support research activities, and career teaching/research excellence awards and honors.

5. Undergraduate research mentor experience of participating faculty as indicated by:

a. Number and names of undergraduates currently mentored in research work performed in faculty member's lab(s).
b. Number of undergraduates mentored who performed research in faculty member's lab (s) since 2006.
c. Number of peer-reviewed articles in research journals (excluding abstracts) with undergraduate co-authors since 2006.
d. Number of undergraduate co-authors of peer-reviewed articles in research journals (excluding abstracts) since 2006.
e. Number of mentored undergraduate research students who have presented research papers/posters at off-campus regional or national professional meetings since 2006.

6. Adequacy of proposed student evaluation and selection criteria to affirm that the institution's most talented students are considered for Beckman Scholar awards - students who possess the intellect, written and oral communication skills, as well as personal character, to become potential outstanding leaders in their ultimate science-related careers and professions.

7. Quality, distinctiveness and clarity of academic unit(s)' program plan for nurturing Beckman Scholars as they progressively develop their research knowledge, skills and abilities, emphasizing the student as a focal point of research activities vs. supporting role duties (i.e., collaborator vs. support technician);

8. Academic unit(s)' level(s) of external support (federal agencies, private foundations and industry) for faculty research activities as well as the institution's internal operational and financial support for research activities which include Beckman Scholar participation;

9. Institution's proposed program for Beckman Scholars' personal development, including mentoring, advisement, career planning assistance and distinctive educational enrichment programs.

10. Institution's plan for sustaining an excellent undergraduate research program that continues beyond Beckman Scholar support.

The Beckman Scholars Advisory Panel will review and evaluate the applications and recommend approximately ten for funding. The Board of Directors of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation will make the final determination on institutional awards. It is anticipated that private and public research, doctorate, master's and baccalaureate universities and colleges will be represented in the final award list.

Note: Because of the excessive administrative requirements involved, the Beckman Foundation is unable to provide critical commentary on unsuccessful proposals.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Application material must be submitted to the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation prior to FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011. Incomplete applications or applications received after Friday, September 30, 2011, will not be considered.

For material sent via FedEx/UPS/DHL, please use the following address:
Ms. Jacqueline Dorrance
Executive Director
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation
100 Academy
Irvine, CA 92617

Note: 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.

INSTITUTIONAL CATEGORIES AND NUMBER OF AWARDS

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

2012 Beckman Scholar Award institutions will begin to make their scholarship awards in the summer of 2012 until the summer of 2015. In any event, 2012 institutions will not be considered for new application invitations until the 2015 program.

BECKMAN SCHOLARS AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENT

Since 1998, 909 students at 87 universities have received Beckman Scholar awards. Institutional 2012 Beckman Scholars Awards will be made to support approximately 50 undergraduates enrolled in an estimated 10 universities and colleges. The Foundation anticipates announcing the awards in Spring 2012.

If you have any problems with this page, please email murphy@beckman-foundation.com for assistance.

Thank You