Eligibility
- Institutional award, limited-submission by invitation only.
- Service academies and government laboratories, such as NIH or federally funded national laboratories, are not eligible institutions.
Award
- Institutional award spans three years. Starting with 2022 BSP program: Six Student/Mentor pairs per Institution.
- Receive $21,000 per Student/$5,000 per Mentor.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy
At the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, we acknowledge, appreciate and support the fundamental roles that justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) have in scientific progress and innovation. We seek applicants from all backgrounds in our programs and strive to ensure a fair and equitable process for selection of awardees, recognizing that excellent science is not the exclusive endeavor of one group of people, but of all.
The Foundation evaluates all aspects of the Scholar experience in the review process.
Read our full statement here.
Recent Program and Application Updates
Recent updates to the Beckman Scholars Program and application include:
- Removal of the minimum GPA requirement for Scholar candidates
- Equal emphasis on merit, diversity, equity, and inclusion during Scholar Selection
- Scholar eligibility for undergraduate students with DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient status
- Expanded college/university invitation list
- Streamlined online portal procedures to make applying easier
- Institutional reporting on student body and faculty demographics with a look at 5-year trends
- Mentor CVs that include a personal statement section
- Mentor statements that include plans for intellectual development of Scholars, a safe Scholar environment within the lab, and use of novel teaching or mentoring methods to support success for Scholars from all backgrounds
- Program proposal section prompts related to DEI and Sustainability
- Additional instructional guidance in the application portal for completing the Institutional Data Sheet as well as the Sustainability section of the proposal
- Updated Code of Conduct clause within the award terms and conditions
- The COVID-19 Impact Statement task was removed from the application, starting with the 2025 BSP program.
Invitation Process
Each year, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation reviews information about institutions across the country and identifies colleges and universities to receive Beckman Scholars Program application invitations.
Invited institutions demonstrate a significant commitment to undergraduate research in chemistry, the biological sciences and/or interdisciplinary combinations thereof. They also show the capability to compete successfully on a national level for scientific research funds in peer-reviewed government and private foundation supported programs over previous years. Their faculties and their research facilities are judged to be of the quality necessary to support the caliber of undergraduate research program sought for Beckman Scholars.
Example factors considered in these selections include:
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Support
- NIH Academic Research Enhancement Awards (NIHE)
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Awards
- NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Awards (REU)
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Grants (HH)
- Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Grants "to advance the science of chemistry and the related sciences" (Dreyfus)
- Research Corporation Cottrell College Science Awards (ResC)
- American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund Awards (PRF)
- Active chemistry and biological sciences participation at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) Annual Meetings
Request an Invitation
INSTITUTIONS: If you would like to supply information for consideration, submit a request letter (2 pages max., on institution letterhead, pdf attachment) via email to bsp@beckman-foundation.org discussing the institution’s qualifications related to the factors outlined above. Please also include your institution's Carnegie Classification and Federal Tax ID Number. We will use the information provided in your letter to evaluate the institution's inclusion in our next application invitation.
STUDENTS: The Beckman Scholars Program does not issue awards directly to individuals; it is an institutional award program. If you are an undergraduate student in the area of chemistry, biochemistry, biology, or other science discipline, contact your institution's department chairs or research support office for more information.
Note: We are not able to extend Beckman Scholars Program application invitations to every deserving institution that provides undergraduate research experiences for its students. The limited number of institutional awards we provide precludes us from doing this.
Use of AI
Generative artificial intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT or AI, are evolving into essential software in the researcher’s toolkit. Just as graphing and statistical software aid in data analysis and presentation, AI tools can assist authors in their work. The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation supports the use of these tools as supplementary resources when used in an ethical and responsible manner. Accountability lies with the human authors, who remain responsible for the proper application of AI and the critical review and reporting of its output. All awardees and applicants are expected to comply with best practice in research and publishing ethics, take full responsibility for any errors made by an AI tool, and are expected to cooperate with questions relating to the accuracy or integrity of any part of their work, including data analyses and representation.
Featured Image
Beckman Scholar Jade Kang is shown (at top) conducting undergraduate research in the lab of Professor Anne Murphy at Georgia State University, where she studied the long-term effects of perigestational morphine exposure on neurogenesis, gliogenesis, and adult learning and memory in male and female rats.
Jade Kang:
“Working in Dr. Murphy’s lab, I explored a variety of lab techniques including immunohistochemistry, imaging, rat handling, and data analysis in my project studying the effects of perinatal morphine exposure. While I loved being at the bench, learning the process of research itself, I found the most joy in interpreting and sharing my results with other people at regular lab meetings, journal club presentations, and research symposiums both in and out of Georgia State University. At Georgia State, I intend to amass a broad range of lab techniques, working in fields from computational and organic chemistry to immunohistology and neuroscience, so I can best tackle my questions for addiction sciences in my future studies. Since the Beckman program, my interest in aging has expanded to developmental science. I plan to pursue a Ph.D. studying questions in addiction science. I aim to combine biochemistry, immunoendocrinology, and neuroscience into my future. The Beckman Scholars Program has helped me not only whittle down my research interests, but also broaden my career options.”
Logo for Poster & Slideshow Presentations
Scholars: If you are preparing a research poster or slideshow presentation and wish to include the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation logo and/or the Beckman Scholars Program logo, they are available for download in .png format below.
Honor Cords for Graduating Scholars
Beckman Scholars: If you are graduating and would like the Foundation to send you BSP Honor Cords, please email your request to admin@beckman-foundation.org. Include your full name, current mailing address, phone number, and the date of your graduation ceremony.
Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery; while supplies last.
Congratulations, Graduates!
Undergraduate Research Week
Every April, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation celebrates Beckman Scholars and their research with an online campaign during Undergraduate Research Week. The campaign features Scholar- and Mentor-submitted content in addition to program-related content produced by the Foundation which is shared on social media platforms like Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. To view past content, search using the following tags and hashtags:
- 2024 Campaign: #URW2024, #BeckmanScholar, #BSPMentor, #undergraduateresearch, #BeckmanScholars, @CURinAction
- 2023 Campaign: #URW2023, #BeckmanScholar, #BSPMentor, #undergraduateresearch, #BeckmanScholars
- 2022 Campaign: #URW2022, #BeckmanScholar, #BSPMentor, #undergraduateresearch, #BeckmanScholars
- 2021 Campaign: #URW2021, #BeckmanScholar, #undergraduateresearch, #BeckmanScholars
Current Beckman Scholars and BSP Mentors: We invite you to submit content for next year's celebration. Send your quotes, images, and videos to pr@beckman-foundation.org for consideration. Some helpful tips:
- QUOTES - Quotes should be 40 words or less. Your quote can be about your Beckman-funded research, time in the lab, future career plans, experience as a Beckman Scholar or BSP Mentor, why you think undergraduate research opportunities make a difference, or a thank you to your BSP Mentor.
- IMAGES - Horizontal, color jpeg images (less than 1MB) are preferred and should be sent as email attachment(s). Include photo credit and a brief caption. Your image can be a selfie, in the lab, from your research, with your Mentor or other Beckman Scholars, or spotlight your campus.
- VIDEOS - Videos should have a vertical orientation, be no more than 30 seconds long, and submitted as .mp4 or .mov files. Send as an email attachment or with a download link that does not require sign-in/password. Your video can be a tour of your lab or campus, a quick introduction to you or your research, a shout out to your Mentor, words of encouragement, or a celebration of your academic accomplishments.
Recent BSP Awardees
The Foundation has a database of Awarded Scientists that is searchable by Scholar name, award program, award year, discipline, or institution. Below is a list of BSP Awardee Institutions for the most recent three years.
2024 Beckman Scholars Program Awardee Institutions
Arizona State University
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Chapman University
Emmanuel College
Georgia State University
Illinois Wesleyan University
Rutgers, University of New Jersey, Newark
Santa Clara University
University of Chicago
University of San Diego
University of the District of Columbia
University of Utah
University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
Wellesley College
2023 Beckman Scholars Program Awardee Institutions
California State University, East Bay
Fort Lewis College
Louisiana State University
Miami University
Mount Holyoke College
Oklahoma State University
Pomona College
Smith College
Tufts University
University of California, Irvine
University of Michigan
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
Washington University in St. Louis
2022 Beckman Scholars Program Awardee Institutions
Barnard College
Binghamton University (SUNY Binghamton)
Indiana University (IUPUI)
Macalester College
Ohio State University
Trinity College
Trinity University
University of Arizona
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Kentucky
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Scholar Videos
Overview of the Beckman Scholars Program
2009 Beckman Scholar Abigail Knight, PhD
2016 Beckman Scholar Nathanael Kazmierczak
2017 Beckman Scholar Audrey Short
Amherst College Professors Helen Leung and Mark Marshall discuss the Beckman Scholars Program
2016 Beckman Scholar Zachary Nimmo and 2017 Beckman Scholar Christopher Travis
2019 Beckman Scholar Vennela Mannava presents her research at the 2020 Beckman Symposium
2019 Beckman Scholar Catherine Weibel presents her research at the 2020 Beckman Symposium
2021 Beckman Scholar Anthea Bell takes us inside the Horch lab at Bowdoin College
2021 Beckman Scholar Connor Bowerman offers a glimpse inside the Akimov lab at Texas A&M University
2021 Beckman Scholar Christina McBride gives a tour of the Charkoudian lab at Haverford College
2022 Beckman Scholar Shruti Venkatesh offers a look inside the Bishop lab at SUNY Binghamton
2022 Beckman Scholars Emily Scheib and Liam Shanahan from The Ohio State University interview 2010 Beckman Scholar Nicholas Jarjour, PhD