Scholarships and Awards

Scholarship Criteria

• Full-time major in the MCB undergraduate or graduate degree program
• 3.2 minimum GPA
• Completion of one semester of research.

Open to all MCB students who are continuing into the following Fall.  Galileo Circle funds will be disbursed for your Fall semester.  If you are graduating this spring, you are not eligible for this scholarship.

Application Materials

• Galileo Circle Scholarship Information Form:  please write legibly
• Personal Statement (1 page), please included current research interests and future goals; avoid using technical jargon. Double spaced, 12 pt. font.
• Resume or CV, please include education, honors/awards, grants/scholarships, research experience, professional affiliations, publications, community service
• Letter of support from a College of Science faculty member (have faculty send directly to Kara at kdyson@arizona.edu

Submission Process and Deadline

Scholarship recipients are selected by The MCB Awards Committee for final selection.

Submission deadline for 2025 will be announced in the future. 

Questions? Contact Kara Dyson at kdyson@arizona.edu.

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The Dr. Julie Huynh Memorial Scholarship has been established by the Molecular and Cellular Biology department in the College of science to honor the memory of this exemplary student and colleague. Julie was a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral student in Molecular and Cellular Biology from 2010-2022. She was a tireless and inspirational contributor to nearly every aspect of MCB’s mission over these years, including research, teaching, advocacy, and outreach. The brilliance, energy, and joy she brought to these activities enriched all who worked with her and helped people to connect to each other. Julie was a passionate advocate for doing remarkable science and she was equally insistent that scientists must communicate clearly about their work to the patients and public they serve. She lived this example by writing accessible and eloquent research summaries for the public and cancer patients and sharing her creativity and experiences in essays, photographs, and poems. Julie was known for giving gifts to show appreciation and care and would be proud to know that a scholarship in her name is paving the way for other students to find their unique science voices.

Read through some of Julie's work:

• Compilation of Julie Huynh's FORCE’s XRAY articles
• Harmony 2021 (page 6)
• Harmony 2020 (page 6)
• Harmony 2018 (page 4)
   

Scholarship Amount:  $1000

Offered once in the fall and once in the spring

Eligibility Criteria

• Molecular and Cellular Biology Master’s student
• First Generation student (preferred)
• Must demonstrate financial need (been offered need-based financial aid)
• In good academic standing (3.0 GPA or higher)

Application Process

• Scholarship Universe Application
• A personal statement explaining why this scholarship is important to you which includes an original piece of artistic media pertaining to biology.  This can be in the form of a drawing, photograph, poem, and/or any form of artistic expression that shows your passion for science. 
• Unofficial transcript
• One letter of recommendation from your research advisor

Scholarship will be open for application in Fall 2022

Donations

If you would like to make a donation to this scholarship fund in memory of Julie, please take the following steps:

• Go to this link: https://give.uafoundation.org/science-mcb
• Select “MCB Graduate Student Awards”
• Write in the tribute information at the bottom of the page

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The Danny Brower Memorial Scholarship has been established by the department of Molecular and Cellular Biology in the College of Science to honor the professional accomplishments of Danny Brower, Professor and Scientist, for over 25 years at the University of Arizona.  Danny took great joy in watching young students become captivated with scientific research, both in the laboratory and the classroom. In Danny’s own first year as an undergraduate student at Stanford University, he was enrolled in naval ROTC to help finance his education. Besides getting seasick, he soon discovered that there were other, better, ways to fund his interest in biology. Consequently, Danny was happy to provide research opportunities in his lab for numerous undergraduates and would be thrilled to know that this scholarship will help keep young scientists in the laboratory, instead of lost at sea. In addition to his many contributions to undergraduate education, Danny was widely recognized as an accomplished scientist and academician, as demonstrated by his numerous publications and service as the Department Head of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Scholarship amount: $1000

Scholarship Criteria

Eligible students must:

• Be a UA undergraduate majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology.
• Be currently involved in research.
• Be in good academic standing (have a cumulative GPA of 2.500 or higher)
• Demonstrate financial need (have been offered need-based financial aid).

Application Process

To apply, submit the following items to Scholarship Universe (search for “Danny Brower”): 

• Scholarship Universe application
• A personal statement addressing why this scholarship is important to you (two page maximum)
• An unofficial transcript
• One letter of recommendation from your research advisor/faculty

Submission Process and Deadline

Application packets are due by 11:59 PM on March 14, 2022 on Scholarship Universe.  Applications will not be reviewed if they are not submitted through Scholarship Universe.  Award winners will be notified within one month of the application deadline.  Search for this scholarship on Scholarship Universe.

The MCB Department recognizes excellence in undergraduate studies and research with its annual Outstanding Senior and Excellence Undergraduate in Research awards. The Outstanding Senior award is presented to a graduating MCB senior who has demonstrated excellence in MCB studies. The award is presented each semester. The Excellence in Undergraduate Research award is presented to an MCB senior who has demonstrated excellence in their undergraduate research. This award is presented in the spring.

In order to be eligible for these awards, students must be nominated by a faculty member. Students who are nominated are invited to apply for the awards. The final selection is made by the MCB awards committee.

Each spring, the MCB Department recognizes outstanding graduate students in three categories: Scholarship, Service, and Teaching. MCB selectees are nominated for the same award at the College of Science level. 

The award for Scholarship is presented to the graduate student with outstanding research publications, presentations at meetings, and scholarships awarded. The award for Service is presented to the graduate student who has demonstrated attention to broader impacts and involvement in activities outside of academic responsibilities that benefit the department, university and the larger community. The award for Teaching is presented to the graduate student with a commitment to teaching or mentoring that goes above and beyond what is required, positive evaluations or other feedback from students, willingness to help junior graduate students, etc.

Students must be nominated to be considered for the award, which is decided by the MCB awards committee. Please contact Rebekka Ayala for additional information.