Scholarships and Awards

Department of Biology
Awards for Undergraduate and Graduate students

Dear undergraduate and graduate biology students,

Please see below the full list of Awards offered by the Department of Biology for the 2022-23 academic year. Please use the provided links for the full information about each award, including the required application materials and deadlines, as well as to submit your applications.

You can also access and apply to these awards directly from the Matador Scholarships webpage which contains the Biology included here, as well as several awards offered by the College of Science and Math (CSM).

Please note that most awards require at least 1 (one) letter of reference directly uploaded into the system by your recommender, so please try to let them know with as much lead time as possible. Also, please let them know to which award(s) you are applying, and what is the focus and requirements for each award, so they can write you a letter that includes all the information needed for the different awards you are applying.

Please also note that for all awards having financial need as a requirement, students *must* have a FAFSA or California Dream Act application on file for the current academic year.

The application deadline for all Department of Biology Awards is March 2nd, 2023.

The application deadline for all CSM Awards are listed for each award below (they are generally due on February 28th, 2023).

2022-2023 Biology Awards for undergraduate students (deadline 3/2/2023)

Alumni Prize for Undergraduates Research in Biology - Areas of cellular, molecular, physiological, developmental or microbiology
Short description: For undergraduate students. Biology major involved in research with a GPA of 3.0 or above. Must have published or presented research.

Alumni Prize for Undergraduates Research in Biology - Areas of ecology, evolution, ethology or systematics
Short description: For undergraduate students. Biology major involved in research with a GPA of 3.0 or above. Must have published or presented research.

Bennett-Bickford Biology Scholarship
Short description: For undergraduate students. Academic excellence with a minimum GPA of 3.0; intention of entering a teaching profession (mandatory).

Bob and Doris Tracy Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship Award
Short description: For undergraduate students. First generation undergraduate student with an interest in continuing education beyond BA/BS in the areas of ecology, physiology and evolution of vertebrate animals.

Judge Julian Beck Outstanding Graduating Senior Biology Department Award in Cell and Molecular Science
Short description: For undergraduate students. Academic excellence/outstanding achievement to Senior graduating in January or June.

Judge Julian Beck Outstanding Graduating Senior Biology Department Award in Ecology and Evolution
Short description: For undergraduate students. Academic excellence/outstanding achievement to Senior graduating in January or June.

Ian and Kathy Leslie Scholarship in Biology
Short description: For undergraduate students. Returning student with significant adult responsibilities in addition to schooling. Must have the maturity, determination and personality to have a successful career in the life sciences. Minimum GPA: 3.0

Lieberman Family Foundation Biology Scholarship for Outstanding Undergraduates
Short description: For undergraduate students. Students in financial need with GPA of 3.5 or above.

Dr. Celina Barba-Simic Biology Scholarship in Honor of Dr. Steven Oppenheimer
Short description: For undergraduate students. Applicants should be high-achieving undergraduate students with financial need. Must also be performing laboratory research in the Department of Biology. Preference will be given to students who come from disadvantaged economic and/or educational backgrounds and first-generation students who have been involved with or played leadership roles in campus activities and/or service to the community.

Prakriti Suri Memorial Award
Short description: For undergraduate students. Minimum GPA of 3.3, senior level standing. The nominee must be planning on pursuing a career as a physician.

Outstanding Student-Faculty Research Collaboration Award in Biology.
(Application not via Academicworks, see instructions below)
Eligibility: This is a joint award, given to a team consisting of a biology undergraduate student and a fulltime, tenured CSUN faculty member from the Department of Biology who has minimal to no extramural funding (less than $30,000) to collaborate on a scientific research project, relieved from some of the financial burden that can prevent success. Eligible students must be baccalaureate candidates in biology in good academic standing, with at least two semesters remaining before their graduation.
Application Materials: A) The sponsoring faculty member must write and submit an essay describing how the student will be mentored (i.e., the planned approach for developing skill in experimental science and the goals for student development). The faculty member must submit a budget detailing how the funds will be spent to support the research project. B) The student collaborator must write and submit an essay describing the science project proposed (i.e., the scientific purpose of the project, methods and probable timeline, and discussion of expected results).
The full proposal (faculty and student sections) should be submitted as a single .PDF file, no later than 3/2/2023, to cristian.ruiz-rueda(at)csun.edu mentioning the scholarship name in the e-mail subject.

2022-2023 Biology Awards for both undergraduate and graduate students (deadline 3/2/2023)

Hugo and Irma Oppenheimer Biology Department Award
Short description: For undergraduate and graduate students. Students who show excellence in research and teaching promise.

Scholarship in Ecology, Behavior and Natural History honoring Jim Dole and Betty Rose
Short description: For undergraduate and graduate students. Students earnestly pursuing a career in biology, conducting research on the ecology, behavior and/or natural history of terrestrial organisms.

Richard Duenckel-Toluca Lake Garden Club Horticultural Scholarship.
Short description: For undergraduate and graduate students. Students enrolled in horticulture-related subjects; recipient is expected to attend a Garden Club meeting to discuss studies.

2022-2023 Biology Awards for graduate students (deadline 3/2/2023)

Bob and Doris Tracy Memorial Graduate Fellowship Award
Short description: For graduate students. First generation graduate student pursuing a career in mechanistic natural history of vertebrate animals.

Donald E. Bianchi Outstanding Graduate Student Award (Biology Department)
Short description: For graduate students. Outstanding academic performance & contributions to science.

Donald E. Bianchi Outstanding Graduate Research Award (Biology Department)
Short description: For graduate students. Outstanding academic performance and exceptional biological research.

Donald E. Bianchi Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (Biology Department)
Short description: For graduate students. Outstanding academic performance and an aptitude for teaching in biology.

Newhall Land and Farming Southern California Scholarship In Support of Terrestrial Ecology
Short description: For graduate students. Graduate student whose research focuses on the ecology of terrestrial organisms, populations, or communities from southern California. Grant to support fieldwork, purchase of small equipment and supplies.

Julie Gorchynski, MD Research Graduate Student Scholarship
(Application not via Academicworks, see instructions below)
Short description: For graduate students doing research in the Center for Cancer and Developmental Biology. Funds ($1,000) are to be used for the purchase of supplies for their research project/thesis.
Eligibility: Applicants should be graduate students in the Department of Biology working in any area of the discipline under the direction of Dr. Gorchynski’s faculty mentor, Dr. Steven Oppenheimer. If Dr. Oppenheimer is no longer doing research in the Center, the scholarship will go to an approved graduate of the Center. Candidates must be in good standing and fully classified at the time of the award. Funds have been granted for the purchase supplies for their thesis research. Since the award covers future expenses, graduating students who have completed their thesis research are not eligible.
Application Materials: Applications must consist of a proposal that includes the following information: 1) background; 2) objectives/hypotheses; 3) methods; 4) anticipated results; 5) significance; 6) description of professional goals; 7) literature cited (a minimum of three references); and 8) budget and justification.
Proposals must not exceed five double-spaced pages of text (not including literature cited, budget and justification). The budget and justification should not exceed two pages. Budget should list anticipated supplies, costs, vendors, and catalog numbers. The justification should indicate the purpose of each budgetary item in the investigation. A 12-point font or larger should be used and margins set at 2.5 cm on all sides. Double-sided copies are encouraged. The proposal should be submitted as a single .pdf file to Dr. Ruiz-Rueda at cristian.ruiz-rueda @ csun.edu mentioning the scholarship name in the e-mail subject, and no later than 3/2/2023 (NOTE: spaces have been added around "@" to avoid automatic spamming - please avoid the spaces when composing your email to Dr. Ruiz-Rueda). In addition, a letter of recommendation from the student’s advisor is required and should address the importance and feasibility of the project and the student’s qualifications (e.g., education, experience, special training, etc.). The letter should verify that space, facilities, equipment and permissions (state permits, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approval, etc.) are in place. The letter should be emailed as a .PDF file to Dr. Ruiz-Rueda mentioning the scholarship name in the subject, and no later than 3/2/2023.