Beckman Scholars Competition

Beckman Scholars Competition Timeline 2008

January 31 -- application deadline
week of February 11 -- interviews with finalists
February 18 -- Beckman Scholars selected, applicants notified
No later than March 14 -- Beckman Scholars select faculty mentor
April 14 -- Beckman Scholars' five page proposal for work to be accomplished during the summer of 2008 due in the UBRP Office

Benefits

• Support for two summers and one academic year ($6,000 each summer and $4,000 for AY)
• $ 850/summer for research supplies and travel to scientific meetings
• $ 1,600/academic year for research supplies and travel to scientific meetings

Eligibility

1. University of Arizona sophomore, junior or senior students majoring in one of the biological sciences or chemistry
2. American citizens or Permanent Residents of the US
3. Able and willing to work full time for 10 weeks in two consecutive summers in a Beckman mentor's lab as well as 10 hours/week during the academic year.

Guidelines for Application

Click here to download the application

1. Completed Beckman application cover page with one-page personal statement describing career goals and reasons for applying to be a Beckman Scholar
2. One page description of previous research experience
3. Official transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended
4. Letter of recommendation from math or science professor
5. Three (3) -page double spaced proposal based on the article titled “A Malignant Flame” by Gary Stix that appeared in the July 2007 issue of Scientific American, pgs. 60-67. In your proposal describe how you would test the hypothesis that an inflammatory response leads to cancer.  Suggest a research design to test this
   hypothesis using specific chemical, biochemical, or physiological experiments. (Copies of the article are available in UBRP office, LSS 348). 
6. Spring 2008 course schedule (indicating times available for interview)
7. List of Mentors in order of preference

The finalists will be interviewed the week of February 11. These students will then interview with and chose one of 14 Beckman faculty mentors with whom to work. The Beckman Scholar will prepare a five page proposal for the plan of work to be done in the lab; these will be reviewed by the selection committee and must be approved before payment of the first stipend check . As a condition of this award the student must agree to work full time for 10 weeks for two summers in the selected Beckman mentor's lab and 10 hours per week during the intervening academic year.

Applications are available above or from

Carol Bender, Director
Life Sciences South Building, Room 348
Telephone: 520-621-9348
FAX: 520-621-3709
E-mail: bender@email.arizona.edu

Mentors for Beckman Scholars

Dr. Craig Aspinwall — Analytical chemistry, spectroscopy, imaging, instrumentation, cell physiology, biomaterials, microscopy, microcolumn separations, electrophysiology, electrochemistry.

Dr. Giovanni Bosco -- Using genetics, genomics and computational methods we study the role of tumor suppressor genes in cell cycle regulation and  development in Drosophila.

Dr. Matthew Cordes — Structural evolution and conformational change in proteins, protein folding, amino acid sequence determinations of protein aggregation and misfolding, functional evolution of DNA recognition by proteins.

Dr. John Enemark – Bioinorganic Chemistry; Molybdenum-Containing Enzymes; Electronic Structure and Spectroscopy; Pulsed EPR of metalloproteins

Dr. Hana Fares – Genetic and cellular analysis of endocytosis and of polarized secretion using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system.

Dr. Indraneel Ghosh – a) Development of inhibitors that target protein-protein interactions implicated in the progression of human diseases and b) Development of new biological sensors for detecting nucleic acids.

Dr. Victor Hruby – Peptide hormone and neurotransmitter conformation-activity relationships;  intracellular communication; pain and drug abuse;  pigmentation, feeding behavior and electile response;  brain chemistry; the chemistry of human behavior; receptors; design and synthesis for treatment of cancer and other diseases. Multivalent ligands for detecting and treating disease

Dr. Roger Miesfeld -- Eukaryotic cell signaling, metabolic regulation of blood meal metabolism in mosquitoes, cancer cell biology

Dr. Katrina Miranda – Evaluation of the chemistry of nitrogen oxides relevant to biological conditions with the purpose of identifying potential targets for treatment of disease and producing nitrogen oxide donor compounds to modulate these target sites.

Dr. Jeanne Pemberton – Chemistry at the interfaces important in electrochemistry and electrochemical devices, chromatography, organized molecular assemblies and environmental systems.

Dr. Robin Polt –Glycobiology.  Our work involves synthesis and evaluation of glycosidase and glycosyltransferase inhibitors that modify the glycocalyx of the cell surface.  These studies include the use of the insect nervous system for the evaluation of drugs that interfere with the expression of glycosphingolipids (gangliosides), and evaluation with cancer cells. Other studies involve the design, synthesis and purification of glycopeptide drugs based on peptide neurotransmitters.  By changing the nature of the carbohydrates on amphipathic peptide messages, we manipulate their affinity for the cell surface, and ultimately effect penetration of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), converting the brain's own neurotransmitters into drugs that affect behavior—  Drugs for the Brain from the Brain!

Dr. Frans Tax -- Developmental cell signaling and pattern formation in plants: how plants  use signals and receptors to organize their seeds, stems, flowers and roots.

Dr. Elizabeth Vierling – Molecular  chaperones and nitric oxide metabolism are critical for organism development and stress tolerance. We use genetics, protein biochemistry,  molecular biology, and transgenic plants to study these important problems.

Dr. F. Ann Walker – Projects on two protein systems are available: 1) Preparation of site-directed mutants of Nitrophorins (NO-binding heme proteins from the saliva of a blood-sucking insect) and investigation of their spectroscopic and redox properties and 2) preparation of site-directed mutants of the cytochrome b protein of respiratory complex III of Rhodobacter sphaeroides and investigation of their spectroscopic and redox properties.  A wide range of recombinant DNA and protein purification techniques will be used.  In both projects we are looking for changes in the redox potential of the heme iron caused by the mutation of a protein side chain near the heme.  Spectroscopic studies include UV-visible spectra that change with oxidation state of the iron or with binding of a ligand to or near the heme.

Deadline for Application: January 31, 2008