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 2020-21, as well as several awards offered by the College of Science and Math (CSM). 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 and CSM awards, as well as additional awards offered by the University.
Please note that most awards require at least 1 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.
The application deadline for all Department of Biology Awards is March 1st, 2021.
The application deadline for the College of Science and Math Awards listed at the end of this document is provided for each award (please note that one of the awards is due on 2/12/2021; the rest are due by 3/29/2021 except for one due on April 16th).
2020-2021 Biology Awards for undergraduate students (deadline 3/1/2021)
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.
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.
Bennett-Bickford Biology Scholarship
Short description: For undergraduate students. Academic excellence with a min. GPA of 3.0; intention of entering a teaching profession (mandatory).
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.
Prakriti Suri Memorial Award
Short description: For undergraduate students. Minimum GPA: 3.3, senior level standing. The nominee must be pursuing a career as a physician.
2020-2021 Biology Awards for both undergraduate and graduate students (deadline 3/1/2021)
Sherman Oaks Garden Club Scholarship
Short description: For undergraduate and graduate students. Biology student with a concentration in Ecology and/or evolutionary biology, financial need, and a min. GPA of 3.0.
Richard Duenckel Garden Club Scholarship (offered in Fall).
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.
2020-2021 Biology Awards for graduate students (deadline 3/1/2021)
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
Short description: For graduate students. Outstanding academic performance and exceptional biological research.
Donald E. Bianchi Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award
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 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 (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.
2020-2021 College of Science and Math Awards
(additional CSM awards may be available at academicworks.com)
Donald E. Bianchi Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award
Short description: For undergraduate students. Must show significant academic accomplishments as well as demonstrated financial need. Must have a GPA greater than or equal to a 3.2. Deadline: 03/29/2021
Donald E. Bianchi Outstanding Graduate Student Award
Short description: For undergraduate students. Must show significant academic accomplishments as well as demonstrated financial need. Must have a GPA greater than or equal to a 3.5. Deadline: 03/29/2021
Hugo and Irma Oppenheimer Student Award
Short description: For undergraduate and graduate students. Must demonstrate excellence in research such as publication(s) in peer-reviewed journals. They should also show interest in and potential for excellence in teaching at the university, college, or K–12 levels. Deadline: 03/29/2021
The Robert R. Sprague Foundation Scholarship
Short description: For undergraduate and graduate students in one of the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering or math) with demonstrated financial need. Deadline: 2/12/2021
Mack I. Johnson Research Award for Outstanding Graduate Student in the College of Science and Mathematics
Short description: To support an outstanding graduate student who has demonstrated extraordinary research abilities and has been accepted into a doctoral program. Deadline: 04/16/2021