Graduate Student Awards
Chemistry Graduate Students Named Leadership Award and Service Award Recipients
The Department of Chemistry is pleased to announce that graduate students Auston Butterfield and Jennifer Miller have been named winners of the Department of Chemistry Student Leadership Award and Student Service Award respectively.
Students Recognized for Leadership and Service
Congratulations to Conner Hoelzel and Nicole Famularo, winners of the Department of Chemistry Student Leadership Award and Student Service Award respectively.
Students Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Three Penn State chemistry students have been awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships! Katherine Marak, Megan Steves, and Sylvia Bintrim are recipients of the fellowship. Two additional students, Catherine Douds and Albanie Hendrickson-Stives, received honorable mentions from the NSF.
Chemistry Students Recognized by National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program
Two Penn State chemistry students have been recognized by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Chemistry major Sojung Kim was selected as a GRF awardee, and Margaret Gerthoffer, a second year graduate student in the Elacqua lab, was recognized as an honorable mention.
Current Graduate Student Awards 2020-21
Graduate students are invited to apply for Department research awards which are to recognize research accomplishments, publications and talks. The awards are recommended to be used to assist students with travel for scientific/educational purposes.
The following awards are available this year:
Graduate Research Awards, ranging from $1,000 - $4,000 each, to acknowledge important research accomplishments in any field
Award announcements will be made by the end of the summer and all research award winners will have the award monies deposited into their student Bursar account in the beginning of the Fall 2019 semester.
How to Apply:
- Inform your advisor that you are applying for the Chemistry Continuing Graduate Student Award
- Submit the following items (one pdf file) via email to Stephanie Hill (slf5335@psu.edu) by September 18, 2020 at noon
- Chemistry Continuing Graduate Student Award Application Page
- Statement of Research Accomplishments – one page maximum, 12 point font, single spaced, one additional page for figures and references
- Complete CV
- Publications- include published and in-press only (Note: if you are using in-press publications you must attach the letter of acceptance from the journal)
- Posters/oral presentations (PSU work only)
- Once your application materials are received the Graduate Office will contact your preceptor to submit the Preceptor Recommendation Form
Travel Awards
Travel Award applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. All students should apply as soon as they know they will travel.
Individual Chemistry Travel Awards are intended to assist Chemistry Graduate students in attending scientific meetings in which they present results of their research work. Applications for more extended travel, for example to participate in research at another institution, will also be considered. Students considering this type of award are advised to discuss the possibilities with the award committee chair prior to applying. Requests for support of extended travel should include a letter of recommendation from the student's preceptor.
Eligibility & Selection Criteria:
Any full-time graduate student in the Chemistry Department is eligible to apply for a Travel Award. No student may receive more than one travel award per year (August 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021). Requests must be made individually and students should apply for Travel Awards in consultation with their research advisors. Sharing of accommodations within groups is encouraged for larger meetings (such as ACS National Meetings). Please work with your lab's research staff assistant before submitting the form to 104 Chemistry Building.
Award Deposits
- Money will be deposited into the student’s bursar account at the end of the month they have submitted the travel request. (i.e. submitted April 15, money deposited at the end of April)
- Chemistry students must be registered for the semester (Fall or Spring) the award will be deposited
- Money for travel during the summer needs to be requested the last week of Spring semester. If requested after that day, money will be deposited in August.
PLEASE NOTE: Students can access funds by transferring the money via eRefund in LionPATH.
International Students: It is the student’s liability to pay any taxes if their country does not participate in a treaty with the US.
Application:
- Complete the Travel Award Request Form
- Attach the applicable documents
- Return the paperwork to your research staff assistant
- A memo will be distributed via email to the student, research assistant and advisor announcing your award
Chemistry Graduate Student Service Award
This award was designed to recognize graduate students who have proven to be outstanding examples of dedicated service to either their research lab, student organization, or departmental committee. The recipient is awarded $1000.
Past Recipients
2018: Santina Cruz
2019: Nicole Famularo
2020: Jennifer Miller
Chemistry Graduate Student Leadership Award
This award is designed to recognize graduate students who have proven to be outstanding leaders, within either the research lab or the science community at large. The recipient is awarded $1000.
Past Recipients
2018: Fatma Pir Cakmak
2019: Conner Hoelzel
2020: Auston Butterfield