Scholarships and Awards

Each year in early March, student scholarship and award applications are solicited. All award recipients are announced at the Honors Convocation in April.

The Barbara Putnam Award

To receive this award the student of any major must have attained junior or senior standing. The student must have demonstrated a career interest in the environmental resources area and must be a participant in a natural resources program at Albion College. The Barbara Putnam Award is awarded based on merit and need. The recipient does receive a monetary award.

To Apply

Submit a brief essay in which you indicate your present aims in life, especially in relation to your environmental interests, your present activities related to them, and how you see your Albion College education relating to those aims. Attach to your essay a current Albion College student transcript. Turn paper and transcript in to the Biology Department Office.

Steven D. Reed Award for Excellence in Student Laboratory Teaching

The recipient of the Steven D. Reed Award is chosen by the Biology Department Faculty from those students who have assisted in the department. No formal application is made for this award.

The Marilyn Young Vitek Merit Scholarship in Biology

To be awarded this scholarship you must be a Biology Major, and have an overall GPA of at least 3.5. A sophomore must have completed 3 units of biology; juniors must have completed 5 units of biology. A brief essay is also required. The essay should indicate your present goals in life, both biological and otherwise, the origins of those goals, and how you see your Albion College education, including your studies in biology, as related to them. Attach to your paper a current Albion College student transcript. Turn essay and transcript in to the Biology Department Office. The recipient does receive a monetary award.

The Ewell A. and Barbara J. Stowell Scholarship in Environmental Biology

To be awarded this scholarship you must be a Biology Major with a GPA of at least 3.0. The criteria listed below must also be met. The recipient does receive a monetary award.

1. Successful completion of at least one year of work at Albion College
2. Demonstrated interest in environmental aspects of biology
3. Well-defined goals and apparent motivation toward those goals
4. Demonstrated teaching and leadership potential
5. Recommendations from two instructors, one a biologist and one not
6. A 2-3 page essay will be used to assess goals and an interest in environmental biology, attach to your paper a current Albion College student transcript.
   Turn essay, transcript and letters of recommendation in to the Biology Department Office.

The A. Merton Chickering Prize in Biology

A. Merton Chickering taught at Albion College for forty-four years, chaired and shaped the Biology Department for thirty-nine years, and was an arachnologist of international reputation. The prize will be awarded for student research in biology. The criteria are listed below:

1. The biology research project must have either been carried out at Albion College or, if off campus, under the active direction of an Albion College Biology staff member.
2. The student must have either junior or senior standing at the time the research is done.
3. The student must submit an abstract and a two to three page written summary of the research project. The abstract must be written in 12 point font, single spaced, and fit within a space 7" wide (i.e., use 1" left and right margins) and 3.5" long. The abstract should include the title of the research project, the name of the student, the name of the faculty advisor, and a succinct description of the goals, methods, and conclusions of the project. The abstract will be included in an abstract volume which will be distributed at the Biology Student Research Symposium. The written summary should not exceed three pages and should expand on the content of the abstract. Abstracts and research summaries are to be submitted to the Biology Department Chair no later than Friday, March 17 (the Friday following Spring Break).
4. A fifteen minute oral presentation of the work must be presented at the Biology Student Research Symposium. Presentations are open to the public; all Biology majors will be encouraged to attend.
5. Written presentations will be evaluated by all biology faculty. At least six biology faculty members must attend the oral presentation.
6. A monetary award will accompany the honor of the Prize.

The Lyman S.V. Judson Award for the Outstanding Senior Biology Major

The recipient of the Lyman S.V. Judson Award is chosen by the Biology Department Faculty. No formal application is made for this award.

Premedical Scholarships for which you might be eligible (see below).

For application information contact Marikay Dobbins, Coordinator of the Pre-Medical/Pre-Health Institute.

The Lepard Family Scholarship

The Lepard Family Scholarship is for a premedical student of any major. This scholarship is awarded to a premedical student by the Premedical/Predental Advisory Committee. The applicants must have achieved sophomore standing and normally must have completed three semesters of study at Albion College. The applicant must have established a commitment to enroll in medical school upon graduation from Albion. The applicant must have achieved and maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.4. This scholarship is renewable.

Stefan H. Kobiljak Premedical Scholarship

The scholarship, in memory of Dr. Stefan Kobiljak Jr. (Albion College class of 1981), was established by his family. Applicants must have achieved sophomore standing and completed three semesters of study at Albion College. Applicants must establish a commitment to enroll in medical school upon graduation from Albion. Applicants must have achieved and maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.49.

Currently this scholarship is awarded to two premedical students of any major by the Premedical/Predental Advisory Committee. This scholarship is renewable.