Beckman Scholars

Beckman Scholars Program Award applicant qualifications:

• Students majoring in Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics or Chemistry

• USD sophomores and juniors and/or students that will be able to complete the scholarship “term.” Seniors can be funded the summer after their graduation if they have not yet completed their two summers and one academic year as a scholar.

• Have an overall GPA of 3.5 or above

• Be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident

• Currently in or interested in conducting research with a Beckman faculty mentor (a list of mentors can be found in the Other Information section below)

Note: Because of the intensity of the Beckman program, Scholars are not able to work, take courses or participate in study abroad during the summers.

Registering as an Undergraduate Researcher

The OUR supports all students engaged in undergraduate research, scholarship and creative works. As a way to connect students and their mentors with the resources available to them all undergraduate researchers (USD and non-USD students) are required to register as an undergraduate researcher. This requirement includes students engaged in extracurricular, academic year, summer, paid or volunteer/unpaid research positions. This does not include students conducting research as part of a course.

Policy on IRB and IACUC Project Approvals

Any awarded Beckman project that involves human (IRB) or animal (IACUC) subjects must receive formal approval from the appropriate USD research ethics committee. A human subject or animal subjects approved IRB or IACUC letter (showing all necessary signatures) must be submitted during the application process no later than the research start date. Additionally, a human subject or animal subjects training course must be taken and a copy of the training completion certificate must be received by the OUR atugresearch@sandiego.edu before any awarded project funds will be approved for distribution. Undergraduate researchers should work with their research mentor to submit the required materials to the appropriate committee.

Research Ethics & Integrity Training

All students and faculty mentors who are awarded a NSF REU grant must complete a Research Ethics & Integrity Training (responsible conduct of research; RCR) before any money can be awarded. Faculty and students who have previously taken the training do not have take it again.  A copy of the certificate of completion must be received by the OUR before any awarded project funds will be approved for distribution.

Progress Reports and Evaluation Surveys

Each Beckman awardee is required to submit the following:

• A summary/statement of your research by September 1, 2018 to ugresearch@sandiego.edu. While your research summary is student driven, you are expected to seek out and incorporate feedback from your research mentor BEFORE submitting it to the Office of Undergraduate Research. Since the research summary/statement is discipline-specific you will work with your research mentor for guidelines as to the correct formatting for your STEM discipline. Generally, the research summary/statement should be ~2-5 pages in length not including figures and literature cited. 

• A final written research report due 3 weeks after the end of the program. These must be submitted to the OUR at ugresearch@sandiego.edu.

2018 Beckman Symposium

The 2018 Beckman Symposium will be held (dates TBA) at the Arnold & Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering in Irvine, California.  As per the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, one Beckman faculty will escort the Beckman Scholars to the Symposium per year. All arrangements will be made by the Beckman Foundation. 

USD Undergraduate Research Conference Presentation

Beckman awardees are expected to present their research at Creative Collaborations, USD's Undergraduate Research Conference, in the spring following their summer research, if still enrolled as a USD student. Students should acknowledge the Arnold & Mabel Beckman Foundation as a funding source.

*** Graduated students that cannot participate in Creative Collaborations due to other obligations are exempt***

The application window will be open January 11, 2018. Application Window will close February 23, 2018 at 5:00pm.

Begin your application by clicking here! 

For the latest information on available research grants, application deadlines and opportunities, please sign up for the OUR mailing list. 

Application Requirements

There are 3 parts of the Application; proposal, motivation statement, and 2 letters of recommendation accompanied by letter of support forms.

• Proposal - 1,000 words or less (~2 pages) and include the following. Please be sure to address each part.

  • Project Title & Introduction - What is the “big picture” or the current state of the field? Provide background to understand your research question -- discuss the gaps in current knowledge.

  • Specific Aims or Goals - What do you propose to accomplish? What is the hypothesis/question you are going to answer?

  • Methods, Procedures, Experimental Design - How do you plan to accomplish your goals? Answer the research question? Address the Hypothesis? Which part will you do? Which part will your mentor do?

  • Discussion - How will the expected results from your research impact/fit into the field? How will the results from the project be disseminated

• Motivation Statement - 500 words or less (~1 page). Address how the Beckman project is in line with your current academic activities, career goals and how the experience will benefit you.

• Two Letters of Recommendation - Must be from 1) your proposed Beckman Faculty Research Mentor AND 2) any prior research mentors OR your academic advisor/preceptor. The letters of recommendation must be accompanied by a Letter of Support Form. These documents must be emailed directly to the OUR at ugresearch@sandiego.edu by the recommender. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that they are received by the application deadline.

How to Apply

• Online Application

  Begin your application by clicking here!

  The online application can also be accessed through my.SanDiego.edu. Once logged in, go to Torero Life>>Undergraduate Research. The Proposal and Motivation Statement will be available for download as a single pdf file.

• Letters of Recommendation and Letter of Support Forms - These must be emailed directly to ugresearch@sandiego.edu. All materials must be received by the application deadline.

Important Notes

• Formatting - Applicants should adhere to the wordcount; application materials that exceed the wordcounts listed above will be negatively impacted during the review process. Figures and literature cited will not be included in word count.

• Proposal Integrity - The Beckman Scholars program is a student-oriented program that the student is expected to write their own project proposal. It is assumed that the faculty mentor will help shape the conceptual aspects of the project and will provide feedback on the feasibility and impact of the proposed work. However, the project proposal must be written by the applicant.
• Part of the proposal but NOT included in the word count
  • Figures
  • References/Citations

Undergraduate researchers* in the following programs are required to be enrolled in the Undergraduate Research 496 course (UGRS 496); you will be registered in the course in late May 2018.

SURE

Beckman

Keck

Changemaker Summer Research Fellows/Community Based Research (CBR)

McNair

NSF REU  

*current/continuing USD students only

Application Review Procedures

A Beckman Scholars Faculty Committee will evaluate the applications, interview the top candidates and determine the awardees. Beckman Scholars will be selected based on their academic records, written and oral communication skills, personal character and potential to be outstanding leaders in science-related careers. There is a strong preference for students who aim to pursue a PhD in chemistry, biochemistry, physics, the biological and medical sciences or a related field. Beckman Scholars will be announced by April 6, 2018.

Beckman Faculty Mentors

Rae Anderson, Ph.D. - Department of Physics
Anthony Bell, Ph. D - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Jessica Bell, Ph. D - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Lauren Benz, Ph.D. - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Timothy Clark, Ph.D. - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
David De Haan, Ph.D. - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Peter Iovine, Ph.D. - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Geoffrey Morse, Ph.D. - Department of Biology
Joseph Provost, Ph.D. - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Joan Schellinger, Ph. D - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Research Scholars

Beckman Scholars conducting research over the summer are considered Research Scholars and are eligible for:

• Reduced on-campus housing (information about reduced summer housing can be found in the next section)

• Professional Development workshops and seminars^

• Networking and Community Building events and activities^

• Leadership seminars and activities^

^ A calendar can be found on the Research Scholars webpage

Post-Award Changes

SURE project awards cannot be changed once awarded. Only the student who submitted an approved proposal is allowed to receive SURE grant funds. Substitution of a different student or students onto an already-awarded grant project is not allowed. If the student is unable to carry out the project, the award is to be declined.

The faculty mentor and the student are jointly responsible for beginning and continuing work as described in the approved project, including the agreed upon start date and length of work. Any significant changes in student or faculty participation should be reported to the Office of Undergraduate Research (for example, changes of more than one week for a 10 week project and start/stop date).

Distribution of Awards

The philosophy of the SURE program review committee will be to fund as many viable student projects as possible. The number of proposals has been rising every year, while available funds for awards have generally remained at the same level. Past funding rates have been around 50%. 

Students conducting research as part of the SURE program are 1) not considered employees, 2) do not report hours worked and 3) will receive a stipend.  Additionally, the Office of Undergraduate Research will be enrolling SURE Scholars*^ into an Undergraduate  Research 496 course (UGRS 496).
*current/continuing USD students only
^If you are already enrolled in courses for the summer please email ugresearch@sandiego.edu immediately, as this may impact you.

Getting Paid:

Undergraduate researchers will be paid once a month, and students are encouraged to sign up for direct deposit to avoid delays in payment.

***IMPORTANT FINANCIAL AID IMPLICATIONS***

Only applicable if you are currently receiving financial aid:

This award will be part of your overall financial aid package. Listed below is the amount of funding you can receive for summer 2018 (based on housing), anything above the amounts listed below MAY impact your academic year financial aid package.  If you have any concerns about the impact of the award, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at usdofas@sandiego.edu.

At home: $1,006/month

Off campus: $1,793/month

On campus: $1,858/month (actual will vary depending on housing selected or any special rates assessed for summer)

Taxes:

Student stipends are taxable and subject to withholding. Please contact the Payroll Office at 619-260-4818 for more information about possible exemption from withholding.

Housing:

All SURE Scholars are eligible for a discounted on-campus housing rate (50%).

Students will work directly with Residential Life to make their housing arrangements and all questions regarding summer housing should be directed to Residential Life.

In order to be eligible for the 50% discount rate, be sure to add "summer research scholar" and "SURE Scholar" in the comment section of the housing application.

Earliest move-in date: Saturday, June 2, 2018
Latest move-out Date: Saturday, August 11, 2018
Rate: $18/day (multiple occupancy)

All events are mandatory and require your RSVP. The Beckman 2018 calendar can be viewed as a reference for events.

The 2017 Beckman Agreement form and Interview Schedule are also available.

• Agreement Form
• Schedule

If you have any questions or concerns please contact the office at ugresearch@sandiego.edu.