Beckman Scholars, Nick Mortimore and Bryce Wilson, with 2023 Beckman Seminar Speaker, Dr. Rafael Yuste.
From left to right: Nick Mortimore, Dr. Rafael Yuste, Bryce Wilson
About
The Beckman Scholars Program, funded by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, helps stimulate, encourage, and support research activities by exceptionally talented, full-time undergraduate students who are pursuing their studies at accredited four-year colleges and universities in the United States. The Beckman Scholarship is a prestigious one, providing a total student stipend of $18,200 plus $2,800 for research supplies and travel support over the course of the 15-month experience. Two Beckman Scholars will be selected annually.
The UA Beckman Scholars Program gives undergraduates funding and support to conduct in-depth research with a UA Beckman Mentor on a full-time basis for two consecutive summers, and part-time during the intervening academic year. UA Beckman Scholars work on a project of interest in their selected mentor’s lab, engage in professional development activities, such as leading undergraduates in small group discussions, inviting and hosting an eminent scientist to give a seminar at UA, meeting with Beckman Mentors, and serving as student leaders within the Undergraduate Biology Research Program, etc.
UA Beckman Mentors
Eligibility
To apply to UA’s Beckman Scholars Program, you must:
- Be a University of Arizona full-time undergraduate student majoring in any biological or chemical science, intending to pursue an advanced science degree or other scientific pursuits.
- Be a freshman, sophomore or junior, at the time of application, graduating in May 2026 or later.
- Be in good academic standing.
- Be a U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, or hold DACA recipient status.
- Minimum of 6 months of prior research experience
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Be willing and able to devote two consecutive summers (full-time, in-person for a minimum of 10 weeks) and the intervening academic year (part-time) to working on a research project.
- Be willing and able to participate in the annual Beckman Symposium, held in Irvine, CA, for both summers. If in-person, travel and hotel accommodations will be provided.
- Be willing and able to serve as a summer workshop leader and peer facilitator for Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP) participants and engage in the professional development activities associated with this program.
Application Process
Students interested in the Beckman Scholars Program must submit the following application materials to Quinn Reilly in the UBRP Office, Life Sciences South #225, or via email at qreilly@arizona.edu by 12:00PM (noon) on Friday, March 7th.
A complete 2025 Beckman Scholars Application Cover Page (Not yet posted, will be posted if/when the program receives notice of funding)
A one-page personal statement describing your career goals and reasons for applying to be a Beckman Scholar.
A one-page description of your previous research experience. Previous research experience is not required to apply.
Official transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended.
One letter of recommendation from a UArizona math or science professor.
Your Spring 2025 course schedule, indicating times available for an interview.
Three-page, single spaced, 11 pt. font with 1” margins, research proposal based on the selected article prompt below.
For the research proposal, applicants will select ONE of the following articles and write a three-page, single spaced, sample research proposal on the related prompt. This research proposal is NOT a proposal for the research you would be doing with a Beckman Mentor; rather this is an exercise to demonstrate your knowledge and ability to think creatively in terms of scientific research.
"People with food and other allergies have a new way to treat severe reactions" by Aimee Cunningham in Science News on August 27th, 2024 (https://www.sciencenews.org/article/allergies-anaphlaxis-epinephrine-spray) Prompt: Many of the medications and preventative treatments that we use have improved over time to reach the forms that we’re familiar with today. For example, epinephrine auto-injectors are a well-known treatment for anaphylaxis, but recently, a more easily administered nasal spray version of this life saving medication has been developed. To this end, write a research proposal to improve and assess the efficacy and delivery of a medical drug of your choice, taking special consideration of the chemical alterations to your drug that would allow for beneficial changes (e.g., improvements in solubility, stability, crossing the Blood Brain Barrier etc.).
"Five ways science is tackling the antibiotic resistance crisis" by Amber Dance published in Nature on August 13th, 2024 (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02601-4). Prompt: Traditional antibiotics derived from natural products, such as beta-lactam derived penicillin, have saved countless lives and improved global healthcare. However, this life-saving panacea has created a paradox; excessive use of current antibiotics has created an emerging antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis. Generate a research proposal to study one aspect of AMR.
A typical proposal of this type has several pieces:
Very brief introduction/specific aims.
Background and significance.
Elaborate upon the problem you have chosen, explain current approaches to solve the problem (why you chose your approach versus other approaches).
Describe specific aims and lay out experimental details/problems/solutions that elaborate on your aims. Clearly describe the logic behind your experiments and consider possible pitfalls.
Potential problems & solutions.
Make sure to cite all relevant background articles that form the basis for your proposal and any figures that you use.
It is highly recommended that you submit an outline or draft of your research proposal in order to obtain feedback from UArizona Beckman Scholars and/or Mentors before you submit your final application. Please contact Quinn Reilly at qreilly@arizona.edu to arrange for feedback.
Beckman Scholar Selection
A committee will review students’ application packets and evaluate the creativity/merit of their research proposals; the most highly qualified applicants will be invited for an interview with the selection committee in early March. At the interview, applicants will give a 10-minute presentation on their proposal to the selection committee. All applicants will be notified of their acceptance or rejection for the UArizona Beckman Scholarship by April 1, 2025.
Questions?
Please contact Quinn Reilly at qreilly@arizona.edu.