Story: Phillip Tutor | Photo: Betsy Compton
UWA students will also receive other academic activities聽
Dr.聽John McCall, dean of the聽College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics聽at the聽, is an unabashed fan of UWA鈥檚 biology program. The reasons are numerous, though one sits firmly atop his list.聽 聽
鈥淥ur biology program has transformed from being a fairly traditional small-school biology program where the kids go to class and they learn,鈥� he said, 鈥渢o being a hands-on program where students are actively engaged in undergraduate research.鈥�
That transformation, McCall said, is deeply intertwined with the success of a 2014 scholarship program, Biology Opportunities and Scholarships for Success, or BOSS, funded through a $609,000 grant.
That success has begat more opportunities. Last year, the NSF awarded UWA鈥檚聽Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences聽a $1.5 million S-STEM grant (Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) that will fund a similar project —聽Biology Opportunities and Scholarships for Success II, award number 2128109. The project, which McCall describes as 鈥渁 larger, more ambitious program鈥� than its predecessor, will run for six years and is designed for undergraduate students. The application deadline is April 15.
BOSS II recipients will receive annual scholarships of $8,500 that are renewable for up to four years. When possible, stacking other UWA scholarships could further reduce financial obligations for qualified students and their families.
Applicants for BOSS II scholarships must enroll in one of the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences鈥� majors. UWA expects to reward 30 students through the project, divided into three cohorts of 10 students each for the next three years, McCall said, and is actively recruiting eligible high school sophomores, juniors and seniors.
Biology Professor Dr.聽Mustafa Morsy聽is UWA鈥檚 principal investigator for the BOSS II project. Along with McCall, Drs.聽Jeffery Merida,聽Mark Davis聽and聽Lee Stanton聽are co-principal investigators.
Besides the financial support, the undergraduate research component of the twin BOSS projects is a major selling point, McCall said, and rests at the heart of the department鈥檚 transformation. By stressing research, student internships and attendance at professional-level meetings and conferences, BOSS II provides students with real-world experience to pair with their academic classwork. The NSF grant will also fund a host of other student activities, including a summer boot camp, a well-being assessment, tutoring sessions and academic counseling involving metacognitive study techniques.
Some of those opportunities were prominent in UWA鈥檚 previous BOSS project.
鈥淲e had undergraduate students that went to research meetings around the country and gave presentations,鈥� McCall said. 鈥淭hey were doing internships. We had students that interned at Yale (University).鈥�
While he credits the initial BOSS project for its role in the biology department鈥檚 transformation, he鈥檚 quick to explain that 鈥渨e had a lot of people doing a lot of things outside of BOSS鈥� who were equally important. An example of their influence, he said, is the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics鈥櫬�University Research Symposium聽held annually on UWA鈥檚 campus for more than a decade.
In 2011, the first symposium featured 12 student presentations. Since then, the symposium has swelled to include presentations from more than 450 students and 73 faculty mentors. This year鈥檚 symposium will be held March 8-9 at UWA鈥檚 Bell Conference Center. Morsy is the event鈥檚 chair and co-founder.
That symposium is one of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics鈥� most attractive features, McCall said. As for the BOSS II scholarship project, 鈥淚t’s a great opportunity,鈥� he said.